Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh's Youth and Sports Advisor, has publicly questioned whether the International Cricket Council (ICC) truly understands the seriousness of the situation pertaining to the national team's participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup matches that are set to take place in India.  

Asif Nazrul told the media on Wednesday during a meeting with vice-president Faruque Ahmed and president Aminul Islam Bulbul of the Bangladesh Cricket Board that the ICC's response did not adequately address the gravity of Bangladesh's security concerns.

After the BCCI advised the Kolkata Knight Riders to release fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026 season, the situation worsened. The BCB then formally requested that the ICC relocate Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to co-host Sri Lanka.

“After reading the letter we received from the ICC today, we felt that they have not fully understood the serious security situation that has developed in India for Bangladeshi cricketers. To me, it does not feel like only a security issue. It feels like an issue of national humiliation as well. Still, we are primarily treating it as a security issue,” Asif Nazrul told media, as quoted by the Times of India.

"We sat together with the BCB directors—Bulbul [Aminul Islam] bhai, Faruque bhai, and everyone else. Today we discussed the situation, and we all agreed that Bangladesh earned qualification for the T20 World Cup through hard work. We are a cricket-crazy nation, and we definitely want to play.

We do not want to play the T20 World Cup at the cost of national humiliation, at the cost of the security of our cricketers, spectators, and journalists, or at the cost of the country’s dignity," Nazrul added.

Asif Nazrul reiterated Bangladesh's stance and stated unequivocally that the request to move matches was not negotiable.

“When it comes to the security of our cricketers, the security of Bangladesh, and the honor and dignity of Bangladesh, there will be no compromise. We want to play the T20 World Cup, and since there is another host country, Sri Lanka, we want to play there. We are firm on this position,” he stated.

The adviser also pointed to the Mustafizur episode as evidence of a wider problem.

“When the Indian cricket board itself is telling the Kolkata team that they cannot provide security to this player and asking them to drop him from the team, that alone shows there is no environment in India where it is safe to play,” he further pointed out.

On the possibility of the ICC rejecting the request, Asif Nazrul said the immediate focus was persuasion.

“Our first step is to convince the ICC. We have strong arguments, and we will convince them with those arguments. On the question of Bangladesh’s security, honor, and dignity, there will be no compromise,” the advisor stated.

Bangladesh is to play four group stage matches of the T20 World Cup 2026 in India, starting February 7 against the West Indies in Kolkata. They will then face Italy on February 9 and England on February 14, also in Kolkata. They will then move to Mumbai to play Nepal on February 17.

(Times of India inputs)