Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das has sharply criticized the country’s former interim government for mishandling the 2026 T20 World Cup row, which led to Bangladesh's withdrawal.

Notably, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had made a plea to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka citing ‘security concerns’ for their players in India, following diplomatic tensions between two nations and the release of Mustafizur Rahman by IPL franchise KKR on BCCI’s instructions.

However, the ICC turned down the request, saying no such verifiable threat existed while also stating the logistical difficulty of altering the schedule close to the global showpiece. Bangladesh maintained their stand and were later replaced by Scotland in the 20-team tournament.

Back in February, Bangladesh Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul had claimed that the players and BCB were reluctant to travel to India, and the decision to boycott the ICC tournament was not taken by the government.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Litton refuted the claims, citing that the players were never part of any discussion regarding participation.

"There was never a question. We only went there to participate and have tea. It was merely a media stunt. So, we too had the same mindset," Litton said.

The Bangladesh T20I captain revealed that the players were never genuinely consulted but were instead informed of a pre-determined government decision to skip the tournament in India over alleged safety concerns.

Litton further questioned the logic of boycotting the event in India, pointing out that Bangladesh had previously played in Pakistan with armed guards stationed outside their hotel.

"They just asked us what we wanted. Now, as a player, what do you want? We, of course, did not want to fight; we wanted to play cricket. But they questioned safety in India. I said that we played cricket in Pakistan, where they used to stand with guns outside the room. What could be more dangerous than that? But this was their call; we had no say as players," he stated.

When the interviewer reminded him that Asif blamed the squad, Litton smiled and delivered a pointed response: "Does he hold any post now? That is why he said those things."