Bangladesh assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin has targeted former sports advisor Asif Nazrul over the T20 World Cup 2026 irregularities. Salauddin also said that Nazrul falsely claimed that the decision to boycott the tournament came from the players and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
After Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from IPL 2026, Bangladesh refused to travel to India citing security concerns and asked to shift their matches to Sri Lanka, one of the co-hosts. The ICC rejected the request and removed Bangladesh from the tournament, replacing them with Scotland.
Asif Nazrul had said that the Bangladesh government has taken this decision. However, just before stepping down from his role, he made a U-turn and said that the decision was taken by the players and the BCB.
He told such a big lie – Bangladesh coach Mohammad Salahuddin accuses Asif Nazrul
Mohammad Salahuddin accused Asif Nazrul of changing his story on Bangladesh’s stance for T20 World Cup 2026. He said that such statements damaged trust within the team and made the situation difficult for everyone involved.
“He has told such a big lie,” Salahuddin said as quoted by Cricbuzz. “I’m a teacher myself and teachers generally lie less. That he would lie so openly – I honestly couldn’t imagine. How would I even show my face in front of the boys? He made such a U-turn.”
“He is a teacher, and a teacher at Dhaka University. A person from the highest educational institution of my country is telling such lies – we cannot accept this. How can we accept this? He first said one thing and later took a U-turn.”
Two of my players became numb for several days – Mohammad Salahuddin
Mohammad Salauddin said that the decision to withdraw from the World Cup had an impact on the players. He said that many cricketers were heartbroken, because playing in the World Cup is a dream. He revealed that the two players were left completely stunned for several days after the decision.
“See, when a boy goes to play the World Cup, he takes his dream – his 27-year-old dream – with him. You destroy that dream in a second. Well, if it is the country’s decision taken for national reasons, they will sacrifice for the country.”
Salahuddin said, “But if you talk about the loss, I will only talk about the personal loss. Personally, you completely destroyed a boy’s dream. I know two of my players were numb for several days, completely lost.”
If things had been communicated properly… – Mohammad Salahuddin
Mohammed Salahuddin said that helping players return to the field and perform again was the biggest success of his coaching career. He said that clear communication would make it easier for players to accept the situation.
Salahuddin said, “The fact that we were able to get them back on the field in this tournament is a big thing in itself. I think that’s the biggest success of my coaching life – that they came back on the field and scored again. A person dreams of playing a World Cup for many years. Money is a factor, but it’s a small thing. What really matters is the World Cup he has dreamed about all his life – he wanted to play that World Cup.”
He said, “Look, I am also ready to sacrifice many things for the country and the boys are also ready. But did I put my hand on any boy’s head and say, ‘Son, you could not play because of this?’
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