Asif Nazrul’s directive led to Bangladesh missing T20 WC

A three-member probe committee has found that Bangladesh did not travel to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup following a directive from the then interim government’s Sports Ministry, headed by adviser Asif Nazrul.

The committee’s findings were disclosed at a press conference at the National Sports Council building on Tuesday. AKM Waliullah, additional secretary (administration) at the Sports Ministry and a member of the committee, said the ministry had sent a letter to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) informing it that the team would not travel to India.

As Asif Nazrul was the sports adviser at the time, Waliullah said, the instruction was considered to have been issued under his authority. The BCB’s then committee followed the government directive and did not send the team to India.

The committee said it spoke to several cricketers, BCB President Tamim Iqbal and senior journalists but could not contact Asif Nazrul or then BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul despite attempts.

The investigators said the players had been ready to participate in the World Cup and concluded that Bangladesh should have taken part for several reasons.

They also said they did not contact officials of the International Cricket Council (ICC) during the investigation.

The committee recommended keeping cricket free from political influence and giving the BCB greater independence in decision-making.

Bangladesh was eventually replaced by Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup after the country declined to play its matches in India.

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