How Bangladesh Players Reacted To Government's Decision On T20 World Cup 2026

The Bangladesh government remained firm on its stance of not sending the national cricket team to India for the T20 World Cup 2026. While the International Cricket Council (ICC) turned down Bangladesh's request to shift its matches out of India and gave it an ultimatum to decide on its participation or face the threat of being replaced, the country reiterated its decision a day later. A meeting between the Bangladesh government, its apex cricket board and the players took place on Thursday. Taking a hard-line position, Bangladesh's sports adviser Asif Nazrul announced that the ICC's assessment was not acceptable to them.

Nazrul was asked if the players, who have repeatedly pleaded for an amicable solution that takes into account their welfare, have been brought on board for a boycott of the premier tournament.

He did not disclose what exactly the players said on the government's decision but explained that they "seemed to understand the situation".

"We met with the players to explain the context and the government's reasoning behind this decision. As this was a privileged communication, the specifics of what the players said will not be disclosed to allow them to speak freely, but they seemed to understand the situation," the official responded.

"Bangladesh is a populous, cricket-loving nation with nearly 200 million fans. If the ICC fails to accommodate us, it will be a significant loss for world cricket and a failure for the host country," he added.

Former captain Tamim Iqbal and current Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto were among the prominent players whose voices demanded that the welfare of the cricketers be made the priority by administrators in both the BCB and the government.

Iqbal was even called "an agent of India" by a senior functionary of the BCB for suggesting that Bangladesh avoid a hard-line approach.

Players stand to lose massively in remuneration given the current situation, and BCB director Nazmul Islam caused an uproar by saying that they would not be compensated as they have failed to produce any significant results in ICC events.

Islam was forced to resign as head of the BCB's finance committee as a result of the players' outrage.

(With PTI Inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket Bangladesh Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026