The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 drama involving Bangladesh has sparked major controversy in the world of international cricket. Syed Ashraful Haq, the former Secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and ex-CEO of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), described this turn of events as extremely damaging for Bangladesh cricket.
Syed Ashraful Haq believes that by withdrawing from the T20 World Cup in India, Bangladesh may now be viewed as a 'potential troublemaker' in world cricket. He mentioned that this decision could lead to long-term repercussions, potentially isolating Bangladesh within the international cricket community.
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The BCB decided not to participate in the T20 World Cup, citing security concerns after discussions with the players. The board claimed that their security concerns were not adequately addressed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), prompting the decision not to send the team to India.
Despite being granted additional time to make a final decision by the ICC, the board remained firm in its stance. Consequently, Scotland has been included in the tournament instead. In a conversation with Cricbuzz, Syed Ashraful Haq sharply criticized the current BCB administration.
He stated, 'It's truly unfortunate that the current board is entirely under the directive of a government that won't remain in power for long. Nonetheless, the aftermath will continue to affect Bangladesh cricket for a long time.' He remarked that as a consequence of this decision, Bangladesh is likely to be seen as a country that causes trouble in the cricket world, potentially damaging relations with the ICC and other boards in future years.
'Players' Dreams Were Stolen...'
Syed Ashraful Haq also commented that the greatest loss from this decision is to the players themselves. According to him, 'A respectful cricket board would have presented the ICC's security measures to the players and left the decision in their hands. If players felt insecure, not going would be justified. However, the decision was made by the government and the board, stripping away the lifetime dreams of players.'
Sports advisor Asif Nazrul had already made it clear that Bangladesh would not travel to India, despite the ICC's final offer. The ICC had already rejected Bangladesh's request to hold matches in Sri Lanka, asserting that there was no credible security threat in India.
In the meantime, the BCB approached the ICC's Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), but the DRC did not consider the appeal by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. The ICC board had previously voted against any changes to the original schedule of the T20 World Cup 2026.
