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T20 World Cup 2026 | 'We are helpless:' Bangladesh players on being blamed for boycott

T20 World Cup 2026 | 'We are helpless:' Bangladesh players on being blamed for boycott

Bangladesh players on being blamed for boycott Photograph: (BCB)

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Bangladesh cited safety concerns for players and demanded their matches in T20 World Cup 2026 outside India - but ICC rejected the demand. Asif Nazrul, sports advisor, had said that the government had decided not to send the team India and the cricket board is just carrying out the orders.

Bangladesh players have reacted after national sports advisor Asif Nazrul blamed them and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for boycotting T20 World Cup 2026 after ICC denied to shift their matches outside India. Nazrul, in a statement on Tuesday (Feb 10), put the onus on players and the board for the decision which earlier he accredited to the Bangladesh government. The players have been left flummoxed by the u-turn.

Bangladesh players react on being blamed for boycotting T20 World Cup

"That was funny," said a player about Nazrul's comment as reported by the Bangladesh newpaper The Daily Star. The identity of the player has not been revealed.

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"You heard what he said. What can we say? We have no one. We are helpless. We don't know what to say since we had no hand in this [World Cup exclusion]. Many things don't need to be verbalised to be understood. We didn't get any help from any side," said another player on Nazrul's statement.

Earlier, when the discussion were going on about Bangladesh's participation, Nazrul had said that the Bangaldesh's government had decided not to send the team India and the cricket board is just carrying out the orders.

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What did Nazrul say about Bangladesh boycott

"There is no question of regret [at being excluded from the World Cup]," Nazrul said at a media conference on Tuesday (Feb 10). "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."

Why Bangladesh not playing in T20 World Cup 2026

Bangladesh cited safety concerns for players and demanded their matches in T20 World Cup 2026 outside India - the co-host of the tournament along with Sri Lanka. The ICC rejected the demand to shift the matches to Sri Lanka or any other venue citing logistical issues. Bangladesh, however, remained firm on their demand and were eventually replaced by Scotland in the tournament. Apart from Bangladesh, only Pakistan had supported their decision at the ICC meeting. After Bangladesh's replacement, Pakistan announced boycott of India match on Feb 15 before going back on their decision.

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Prashant Talreja

Prashant Talreja is an Assistant Editor at WION, specializing in sports: cricket, tennis, golf, football, etc. With over 10 years of experience in sports journalism, Talreja has pr...Read More