Former Asian Cricket Council (ACC) CEO Ashraful Haque has made a huge claim, stating that Bangladesh players actually wanted to play the T20 World Cup 2026 in India but weren’t even consulted when the BCB decided to skip the tournament. BAN were replaced by Scotland in the marquee event after they expressed unwillingness to travel to India amid soaring tensions between the two countries. Earlier, the Bangladesh government had blamed the players for skipping the T20 World Cup and had claimed that the decision was taken by the BCB.
Bangladesh players robbed of T20 World Cup opportunity?
In an interview with RevSportz, Haque claimed that Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nazrul had done multiple u-turns on Bangladesh skipping the T20 World Cup and that he had made players and the BCB the scapegoats. The ex-ACC CEO said that the players wanted to travel to India for the marquee event but weren’t even consulted.
“Asif Nazrul took a 180-degree turn and said that the players and the team that took the decision. Two days later, again he took a 180-degree turn and said that it was the government’s decision, because the players put pressure on him and said that we did not say such things. I know for a fact that the players always wanted to go play there. The players weren’t asked about it,” Haque said.
What Bangladesh govt said earlier
A few days ago, Bangladesh government’s sports adviser Nazrul claimed that while there were no regrets on Bangladesh pulling out of the T20 World Cup, the decision was taken by the BCB and the players. He claimed that the ‘sacrifice’ was made by the players and the board for the safety of the country. Nazrul, in the past, had claimed that it was the Bangladesh government’s decision to not send their team to India for the event, in the light of soaring tensions between the two countries.
“There is no question of regret [at being excluded from the World Cup]. This decision was taken by the BCB and the players as they made sacrifices for the safety of the country’s cricket, the safety of the people and to protect national dignity,” Asif Nazrul said.
Cricket
Suryakumar Yadav's India to take 1-day break before T20 World Cup Super 8
'Bangladesh players wanted to play T20 World Cup in India': How cricketers were thrown under the bus
