A Bangladesh government investigation has held former sports adviser Asif Nazrul responsible for the team’s withdrawal from the 2026 T20 World Cup. The three-member inquiry committee concluded that Nazrul bypassed the BCB and the players before deciding to withdraw the team from the tournament.
On January 24, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after the BCB refused to play its matches in India. The dispute escalated after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. Notably, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had bought the left-arm fast bowler at the auction.
The three-member government inquiry committee interviewed key figures, including T20I captain Litton Das, Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, BCB president Tamim Iqbal and assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin.
The committee was formed in May by sports minister Aminul Haque and was headed by Dr A.K.M. Oli Ullah. Former Bangla Tigers captain Habibul Bashar and barrister Faisal Dastgir were the other members. Dastgir said the investigation found Nazrul and the then interim government responsible for the decision.
“Based on what emerged from the investigation, our discussions with the relevant people, media reports and everything else, it can be said that the person responsible for not going to the World Cup was then youth and sports adviser Asif Nazrul,” Dastgir said. “The government at the time and he were responsible. Bangladesh definitely should have gone to play in the World Cup.”
The committee also spoke to Litton and Shanto about a meeting with Nazrul and former BCB president Aminul Islam. According to the report, both captains said they supported travelling to India and that the players were not consulted before the final decision.
Asif Nazrul Defends Decision After Investigation Report
Asif Nazrul has defended his decision following the publication of the report. In a Facebook post, he questioned why the Ministry of Sports ordered an investigation into a decision he had already publicly claimed responsibility for.
“Why didn’t we go to India? The decision not to go to India for the T20 World Cup was essentially mine as the then sports adviser. I have said this publicly several times,” Nazrul wrote.
Nazrul described the removal of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad as humiliating. He also said Bangladesh tried to move its World Cup matches to another venue, but those efforts did not succeed.
“The country’s dignity, the security of our cricketers, journalists and supporters, and maintaining stability in the country ahead of the next election [were central to the decision]. I believe we made the right decision,” Nazrul added.
BCB Slammed for Passive Role in T20 World Cup Crisis
The inquiry also criticised the BCB’s handling of the dispute. The committee said the board lacked “independent strategic leadership, crisis diplomacy capability and long-term planning” while dealing with the BCCI and ICC.
Nazrul announced on Facebook that Bangladesh would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India. The BCB later asked the ICC to move the fixtures to co-host Sri Lanka, but the request was rejected.
The inquiry also highlighted conflicting statements from Nazrul. He had previously said that the BCB and Bangladesh’s players were responsible for the decision not to travel to India. Following the publication of the report, however, he again said that the decision was primarily his.
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