Bangladesh government’s sports advisor took a U-turn: The India vs Pakistan dispute is finally over. Pakistan decided to boycott their match against India after Bangladesh’s exit from the 2026 T20 World Cup as they stuck to their stand of changing the venue from India to Sri Lanka citing security reasons.
The decision was taken after star pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) following strict instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). This decision was not liked by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), making their stand clear. However, their place was taken by Scotland.
Asif Nazrul took a serious U-turn
Asif Nazrul, sports advisor to the Bangladesh government, took a serious U-turn on Tuesday. He, in a turn of events from his earlier stance, said that the decision not to travel to India and change the venue to Sri Lanka in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 was taken by the cricketers and the BCB, and not by the government.
Asif Nazrul had earlier met the cricketers in January 2022. Following Liton Das’s comment on players not being involved in any decision, a meeting was held and Asif told the media that he had informed the players about the government’s decision.
Earlier, Asif said (as quoted by Cricbuzz), “The purpose of the meeting was only to explain to the players why the government took this decision and give them the context. I believe they understood. That was the purpose – nothing else.”
“I feel we did not get justice from the ICC. Whether we will play in the World Cup or not is entirely the government’s decision,” he said.
BCB made a scapegoat?
Changing his stance after the International Cricket Council decided not to give any fine or ban to the BCB, Asif said, “There is no question of regret (not playing the World Cup). This decision was taken by the BCB and the players because they made sacrifices for the safety of the country’s cricket, the safety of the people and to protect the national dignity.”
He said, “The ICC has said that there will be no ban and Bangladesh will be considered to host an international tournament. This is a fantastic achievement. I salute the Bangladesh Cricket Board.”
However, reports suggest that Asif Nazrul was instrumental in not sending his cricketers to India, citing the anti-India stance of the interim government after it came to power in July 2025 following the student movement.
Bangladesh got away from sanctions
The Bangla Tigers were denied sanction following the ICC’s decision to shift the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup from their country to Dubai citing security and political turmoil and an ICC tournament will also be held in the country. They also decided to provide BCB with the entire revenue that they receive annually from the ICC.
BCB chief Aminul Islam, who was present at the last ICC meeting, had to write a request to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take the field against arch-rivals India at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15.
Also read: Mohsin Naqvi exposed: PCB appeals to BCB for formal appeal before Pakistan’s U-turn on India boycott
