Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul has given conflicting explanations over who decided that Bangladesh would not travel to India to play the T20 World Cup.
Just 19 days earlier, he had stated that the decision was taken by the government. He is now claiming it was made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the players.
After meeting cricketers at a hotel in the capital on 22 January, Asif Nazrul told the media that the call was entirely the government’s, citing security concerns.
“Let me make this very clear — the decision not to play the World Cup in India, considering the security risk, is the government’s decision,” he said at the time. “When people of one country travel to another, the government assesses whether there is a security risk. This is not within anyone else’s scope.”
Bangladesh had sought to have their matches moved from India to Sri Lanka. After prolonged uncertainty, however, the ICC excluded Bangladesh from the tournament and handed the spot to Scotland.
As a result, Bangladesh are missing a World Cup for the first time in 30 years and are spectators at the T20 World Cup for the first time.
On Tuesday, when asked whether there was any regret over the decision, the sports adviser struck a markedly different tone.
“There is no question of regret,” he said. “The decision was taken by the Bangladesh cricket board and the players. They made sacrifices themselves for the security of the country’s cricketers, for the safety of the people, and for the dignity of Bangladesh. I believe this will remain an exemplary precedent.”
That claim, however, sits uneasily with the timeline of events. Bangladesh officially informed the ICC on 4 January that they would not travel to India. On 20 January, World Cup captain Litton Kumar Das said at a press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium that the players had not been consulted either before or after the decision.
Eighteen days later, on 22 January, the sports adviser finally met the players. BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul and several senior officials were also present. Following that meeting, Asif Nazrul again said the decision had been taken by the government.
On Tuesday, the adviser also commented on the BCB president’s recent visit to Pakistan. Bulbul attended a meeting in Lahore between the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board over uncertainty surrounding the India–Pakistan World Cup fixture. The following day, the ICC announced that no punishment or fine would be imposed on the BCB for Bangladesh’s withdrawal. Soon after, Pakistan withdrew its boycott threat and confirmed it would play India.
Asif Nazrul described the developments as a success for the BCB’s cricket diplomacy.
“Ultimately, the ICC is saying they will not impose any punishment, and instead they will make us co-hosts of a global tournament,” he said. “A brilliant achievement. Salute to the Bangladesh Cricket Board. If such a decision could be taken ten times, it should be taken every time.”
However, the claim about co-hosting a global tournament is misleading. Bangladesh’s joint hosting of the 2031 ODI World Cup with India was finalised back in 2021, when the ICC also announced hosts for all major tournaments over the following decade.
According to an ICC press release, Bangladesh may be given the opportunity to host an ICC event between 2028 and 2031 if it meets the required criteria. Reports in Indian and Pakistani media suggest this could be the 2028 Under-19 World Cup.
Even if that proves to be the case, it would not amount to a major achievement in practical terms. Youth World Cups are not financially lucrative, and leading nations show limited interest in hosting them. Despite being six-time champions, India have never hosted the Under-19 World Cup, while England have also never staged the tournament. Australia have hosted it twice, most recently in 2012.
