Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: While the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the government continued to publicly cling to hopes of a last-minute miracle, the reality behind closed doors painted a far bleaker picture for the national team. According to reports, the ICC is expected to replace Bangladesh with Scotland for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 soon after Bangladesh refused to travel to India citing security concerns.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!At the centre of the unfolding crisis was a much-anticipated meeting between Bangladesh’s national cricketers, sports advisor Asif Nazrul, and senior BCB officials on Thursday. Many believed the gathering would give players — a chance to influence a decision that could define their careers. Instead, the meeting served a very different purpose.
As per a cricbuzz report, the cricketers were not summoned to provide consent but were effectively informed that their World Cup dream was already over. The government, having concluded that the ICC had failed to deliver “proper justice” on Bangladesh’s request to relocate matches to Sri Lanka, was unwilling to shift its stance.“The meeting was called not to give our consent as it was made out to be initially. Rather, we were called so that we are aware of the development in the ongoing crisis,” said a cricketer on condition of anonymity. “They made up their mind and decided what they will do before coming into the meeting, and it’s not like any decision was taken taking our views into consideration.”Players were briefly allowed to speak. Cricbuzz report added that most were in favour of playing the T20 World Cup despite the challenges. Their views, however, appeared inconsequential.“They didn’t ask. They made the plan directly and said it’s not happening,” the cricketer added. “The thing is, Bangladesh’s government call was already made… it was a direct order from the government — it’s not happening.”Following the meeting, Nazrul maintained that Bangladesh would not change its position, accusing the ICC of failing to address the country’s specific grievances. He claimed neither the ICC nor the Indian government had taken meaningful steps to ensure safety.“Cricket is finished. If we don’t go, it will be our cricket’s loss. Who cares?” said another cricketer.As per the report, T20 captain Litton Das and Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto spoke during the meeting, insisting the team was ready and willing to play. In response, government and BCB officials cited past threats to Bangladeshi players, raising concerns about the safety of players, spectators, and journalists.Officials also told the players that the BCCI had not contacted them directly. “Bangladesh is supposed to go, but now if they act like this, how can a country send a team?” one source said.BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul attempted to reassure the players, but his words offered little comfort. “What can he say apart from giving us comfort mentally? We understand his situation very well,” the cricketer said. “We knew from the beginning that they already decided that we’re not going.”A member of the team management summed up the mood: “I feel sorry for the cricketers… they worked hard to become a formidable T20I unit. We can only hope this too shall pass.”
