A government-appointed inquiry committee has held former Youth and Sports Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul responsible for Bangladesh’s failure to participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup, saying the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also supported the decision.
The three-member committee disclosed its findings at a press conference on Tuesday (September 15). The committee was headed by Youth and Sports Ministry Additional Secretary Dr A.K.M. Oli Ullah, with former national team captain and current chief selector Habibul Bashar Sumon and Supreme Court lawyer and sports organiser Barrister Faisal Dastgir serving as members.
At the press conference, Barrister Faisal Dastgir said Asif Nazrul, in his capacity as the then sports adviser, was personally responsible for the decision not to send Bangladesh to the World Cup. He added that the then interim government also bore responsibility for the decision.
According to the inquiry report, the BCB agreed with the position taken by the Sports Ministry and Asif Nazrul. As a result, Bangladesh ultimately withdrew from the 2026 T20 World Cup, citing security concerns.
The tournament was held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8 this year. The BCB had asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka, but the ICC rejected the request.
The issue gained further momentum after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of his planned participation in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The decision triggered strong reactions in Bangladesh, while the BCB subsequently expressed concerns over the security of Bangladeshi players, coaches, officials and journalists in India.
Asif Nazrul also publicly opposed sending Bangladesh to India for the World Cup. He said he had instructed the BCB to request the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka.
After the ICC rejected the request, Bangladesh was eventually left out of the World Cup. Scotland was subsequently given the opportunity to participate in the tournament in Bangladesh’s place.
Although Asif Nazrul had initially supported the decision not to send Bangladesh to India, he later changed his position. He then claimed that withdrawing Bangladesh from the World Cup had not been his decision alone and pointed to the roles of the BCB and the players.
However, a key finding of the inquiry committee was that Bangladesh’s players were fully prepared to participate in the World Cup. The report found that the team did not withdraw because of any reluctance among the players or a decision by them not to play.
The committee said this evidence was inconsistent with some of Asif Nazrul’s subsequent statements regarding the players’ position.
Amid widespread controversy over Bangladesh’s absence from the tournament, the Youth and Sports Ministry launched an investigation. A three-member committee was formed in May to examine the reasons behind Bangladesh’s non-participation, administrative complications, the roles of those involved and the overall decision-making process.
More than four months after its formation, the committee released its report on Tuesday, concluding that the decision taken by then Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul played the central role in keeping Bangladesh out of the 2026 T20 World Cup.
