The International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected Bangladesh’s plea to relocate their T20 World Cup 2026 matches to Sri Lanka last month. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had cited ‘security concerns” for their players in India, following heightened tensions between the two countries and the release of Mustafizur Rahman by IPL franchise KKR on BCCI’s instructions.

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

Nearly three weeks after being ousted from the marquee event, Bangladesh Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul backtracked from his previous comments, claiming that the BCB and players were reluctant to travel to India.

“The decision was made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the cricketers. They themselves made sacrifices for the safety of the country’s cricket, for the safety of the people of the country. The role they played in upholding Bangladesh’s dignity will always be held as exemplary,” Nazrul said in a press conference.

This contradicts his previous statement, made on January 22, which said, “I am making it clear to everyone: the decision not to play the World Cup in India, considering security concerns, is the government’s.”

All this while, it was believed that the final decision was taken by the government of Bangladesh. In fact, multiple reports had claimed that the government was not even willing to listen to the cricketers’ point of view during the meeting.

No wonder, Nazrul’s striking U-turn has left the Bangladesh players irked. “That was funny,” a player said told The Daily Star on conditions of anonymity.

Another player remarked, “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.”

After facing backlash, Asif Nazrul clarified his stance through social media. “Since the beginning of January, I have clearly stated in various remarks that the decision not to play in the World Cup in India was the government’s, based on security risks. I fully stand by that statement. Despite financial losses, the deprivation of playing, and the fear of further penalties, they [BCB and players] complied. In this sense, the primary credit for the decision to forego the World Cup, in the interest of the safety of the people and the nation’s dignity, belongs to them. I acknowledge that during the press conference, I failed to explain this properly due to an unprepared response. I reiterate firmly: the decision not to participate in the World Cup was made by the government,” the Sports Adviser wrote on social media.

Nazrul’s statement also left some of the BCB officials upset. “He [Nazrul] had said something different before and is saying something else now. He himself had declared previously that the team will not go,” a BCB director was quoted as saying. “It was never the BCB’s or the players’ decision to make, so, there is no scope of shifting the responsibility."