Bangladesh boycotts T20 World Cup amid ICC standoff
Sabbir Hossain :
Bangladesh has formally decided not to participate in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in India, citing unresolved security concerns and what officials described as a lack of adequate response from world cricket’s governing body.
The decision was announced on Thursday, by Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul following a meeting with players included in Bangladesh’s World Cup squad at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Nazrul said there was “no scope” for reconsidering the decision to travel to India, as the security situation that prompted the government’s concern had not changed.
He confirmed that since the ICC had declined Bangladesh’s request to relocate its matches to a neutral venue, the country would not be taking part in this year’s tournament.
“The security risk we face in playing in India has not changed,” Nazrul said. “This concern did not arise from any hypothetical analysis or assumption.
It came from a real incident, where one of our country’s top cricketers was effectively forced to leave India after extremists applied pressure and the Indian cricket authorities told him to go. That is the plain truth.”
He added that the ICC had failed to act fairly by not accommodating Bangladesh’s request for a venue change, though he expressed hope that the governing body would still act “with justice.” Nazrul did not disclose details of his discussions with the players.
Shortly afterward, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam also spoke to the media, stressing that the board was continuing efforts to find a solution, but within the limits set by the government’s position.
“We are still trying,” Aminul said. “We have not given up. We will communicate again today on some issues and continue our efforts so that our boys can play in the World Cup. Our only demand is that we want to play the World Cup.
At this moment, we do not want to go to India. We want to play on Sri Lankan soil. We are ready, our team is ready.”
The announcement came a day after an ICC board meeting in which Bangladesh’s request to relocate its matches from India was rejected and the existing tournament schedule was kept unchanged.
The ICC had given the BCB a one-day window to consult the government and confirm whether the team would travel.
Thursday’s statements made clear that both the government and the board are now aligned in remaining firm on the boycott.
The decision has drawn support from former players and prominent voices in Bangladesh cricket.
Former national captain Mohammad Ashraful welcomed the move, describing it as “correct and wise.”
“What the government and the BCB have decided is right,” Ashraful told The New Nation.
“This is a question of the dignity of Bangladesh. I welcome the decision that the Bangladesh team will skip the World Cup in India, because this reflects the wish of the people of Bangladesh.”
Current national team all-rounder Mahedi Hasan acknowledged the pain of missing a global tournament but said players must respect the decision of the authorities.
“Which cricketer would not want to play a World Cup? Everyone wants to,” Mahedi said. “But this is completely the board’s decision, and the government also has its decision.
They are our guardians. As players, I think we should do what they instruct us to do.”
Veteran journalist and analyst Syed Tosharaf Ali also endorsed the government’s stance, framing the issue as one of honor rather than sport alone.
“This is the wish of the Bangladeshi people. It is a matter of dignity and honour, and there is no scope to go beyond such a decision,” he said. “I welcome the government’s decision.”
Ali criticized the ICC’s handling of Bangladesh’s concerns, saying the governing body focused only on standard security protocols rather than addressing the specific incident that triggered Dhaka’s objections.
“The ICC made no real attempt to convince us,” he said. “They spoke about general security procedures, but not about our specific grievance.
From the Indian government’s side as well, there was no effort to tell us that the incident involving Mustafizur was isolated, no expression of regret, no concrete assurances for our players, journalists, or supporters. There was no attempt to convince us.”
With the ICC having already finalized the tournament schedule and Bangladesh declaring its position unchanged, the prospect of the national team featuring in this year’s T20 World Cup now appears effectively closed, unless an unexpected diplomatic or administrative breakthrough occurs.