Bangladesh Cricket Board's Stunning World Cup Claim: 'We Wanted To Play But Government...'

Bangladesh Cricket Board has openly admitted it wasn’t on the same page with their national government’s stance of not travelling to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup. On Saturday, ICC announced Scotland have replaced Bangladesh in the marquee tournament after remaining adamant on having their group matches moved to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.

However, on Sunday, BCB director Abdur Razzak reportedly claimed that not playing in India is Bangladesh government’s call and they have to abide by it.

“We have always said that we want to play, but this is the government’s decision,” news agency quoted Razzak as saying. “So, we have to follow whatever the government tells us. And the decision that has been given by the government is not just for

this time; whenever we have any tour, we have to get clearance from the government beforehand.”

ICC had provided assurances to BCB that apt security measures are in place and that there’s no credible threat to Bangladeshi players, officials, and fans.

Despite several meetings, the logjam continued, and it ended with Bangladesh being ejected from the tourney.

“We requested the ICC to relocate our matches to Sri Lanka,” BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hussain said. “We had several meetings with them. Their representatives arrived, and high-ranking government officials were also present. Following that, a Zoom meeting was held, and the ICC board informed us of their decision not to relocate our matches and that we would have to play in India, per the existing fixtures.”

“However, the government held a cabinet meeting the day after the ICC board meeting. A decision was made there, clearly stating that if there are no changes to the fixtures, our team cannot participate in the tournament in India. This decision was conveyed by the government,” he added.

BCB will not challenge the decision.

“Our stance remains the same. We are not pursuing any further arbitration or other avenues in this matter,” Hussain said.