A Bangladesh government inquiry has held former youth and sports adviser Asif Nazrul responsible for the national men’s team’s withdrawal from the 2026 T20 World Cup, while also pointing to serious shortcomings in the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s handling of the crisis. The three-member inquiry committee made its findings public on Tuesday after examining the circumstances that led Bangladesh to miss the tournament, which was co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
Nazrul named responsible
The committee concluded that Nazrul, who served as youth and sports adviser in the then interim government, was the key decision-maker behind Bangladesh not travelling to India for its World Cup matches.
Committee member Barrister Faisal Dastagir said the investigation, discussions with relevant people and examination of available material indicated that Nazrul and the government at the time were responsible for the decision. The 22-page report was prepared after the panel interviewed 12 people connected with the episode, including players and senior cricket officials. The committee was headed by AKM Oli Ullah, additional secretary in the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and included former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar and Dastagir.
Players ready to travel
The findings assume significance because accounts given by senior Bangladesh players indicated that the squad was prepared to participate in the tournament. Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and white-ball captain Litton Das were among those interviewed. According to the inquiry, the players were positive about participating despite concerns surrounding the venue.
Shanto and Litton had attended a meeting with Nazrul after the International Cricket Council warned that Bangladesh could be replaced if the BCB continued to refuse to play its scheduled matches in India. The panel found that the decision not to travel was ultimately taken despite the players’ willingness to compete.
BCB shortcomings flagged
While identifying Nazrul’s role in the decision, the inquiry also criticised the BCB’s response during the dispute. It found deficiencies in the board’s independent strategic leadership, crisis-management diplomacy and long-term planning. The report identified political tensions between India and Bangladesh, the ICC’s refusal to relocate the matches and government intervention as factors that had a major bearing on the outcome. It also highlighted weaknesses in the BCB’s negotiations and communication.
The dispute had escalated after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League, where he had been signed by Kolkata Knight Riders. Nazrul subsequently announced that Bangladesh would not play its World Cup matches in India. The BCB later approached the ICC seeking to have the team’s fixtures shifted to Sri Lanka.
Scotland replaced Bangladesh
After weeks of discussions, the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to relocate its matches. On January 24, the governing body replaced Bangladesh with Scotland following the BCB’s refusal to play in India.
The inquiry was subsequently launched to establish how the decision was taken and determine the roles played by the government and cricket authorities. Nazrul, meanwhile, has defended the decision, saying Bangladesh had made the right call and maintaining that concerns over playing in India justified the position taken at the time.