Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Bangladesh cricket faced another turbulent moment on Saturday as a senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official resigned on the same day the team was officially removed from the 2026 T20 World Cup. Ishtiaque Sadeque, a BCB director and chairman of the Game Development Committee, stepped down hours after the ICC confirmed Scotland as Bangladesh’s replacement for the tournament.
Sadeque cited personal and family reasons for his resignation. He said he could no longer give enough time to a role that demands full commitment. His exit comes at a sensitive time, with Bangladesh cricket already under heavy criticism following the World Cup controversy.“It is true that I am resigning. I believe that I am unable to dedicate the time required for such a large community like Game Development, where I am currently serving, because of my family and personal commitments. I cannot provide the effort necessary to accelerate Game Development. For this reason, I feel a personal sense of regret that I am not doing justice to this position. That is why I am resigning from here,” Ishtiaque told Cricbuzz.Sadeque was elected as a BCB director from the Dhaka Clubs category in October last year. He secured the highest number of votes in his category, which made his sudden resignation even more surprising. His timing raised questions, as it came on the same day Bangladesh lost their World Cup spot.However, Sadeque denied that his decision had anything to do with internal disputes or the ICC issue.“The claim that I am leaving because of any misunderstanding, relationship issues with anyone on this board, or due to any hurt feelings or grievances, is completely false. Everyone who was with me tried their best in their own way,” he said.He also backed his successor and said he would continue to support Bangladesh cricket from outside the board.“I believe that whoever succeeds me in Game Development will be able to take Bangladesh’s cricket forward. They have my full support. Even though I will no longer be on the board-I mean, they will have my complete support. Thank you very much,” he added.Earlier in the day, the ICC announced that Bangladesh had been replaced by Scotland for the T20 World Cup 2026. The decision followed Bangladesh’s refusal to play their scheduled matches in India. The BCB had demanded a shift to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.The ICC said independent security reviews found no real threat in India and ruled out any schedule change. With no agreement reached after weeks of talks, the ICC chose to move ahead and bring in Scotland based on rankings.Scotland will now compete in Group C alongside England, West Indies, Italy and Nepal, starting their campaign on February 7 in Kolkata.
