‘Our Hands Were Tied,’ Says Bangladesh Cricket Board After T20 World Cup Ouster

Dhaka: A big decision has come regarding the 2026 T20 World Cup. Bangladesh will no longer play in this tournament. ICC has included Scotland in its place. Actually, the tournament is to be held in India and Bangladesh has refused to go there and play. Bangladesh Cricket Board wanted its matches to be held in Sri Lanka, but ICC was not ready for it. Talks continued for several weeks, but no solution was found, and ultimately Bangladesh was excluded.

Was this decision taken by the cricket board?

The answer to this question has been given by Bangladesh Cricket Board Director Abdur Razzaq himself. He clearly said that the decision not to go to India was not of the board but of the government.

According to Razzaq, "We wanted to play from the beginning, but there was an order from the government that the team should not go to India. We have to accept the same. Not just for this tournament, government approval is necessary before any foreign tour." That means the players and the board could not do anything even if they wanted to.

Why so much insistence on security?

Bangladesh had expressed concern about security in India. For this reason they had demanded that their matches be held in Sri Lanka. In response, the ICC said that there are complete security arrangements in India and there is no concrete threat to the players or officials. Despite this, the Bangladesh government remained firm on its decision.

What happened in the meetings?

Several rounds of talks took place between ICC and Bangladesh Board on this issue. ICC officials reached Dhaka, met government officials and later an online meeting was also held. Ultimately the ICC made it clear that the venue of the matches would not change and the team would have to play in India only.

The cabinet meeting of Bangladesh government was held the next day. It was decided there that if the venue was not changed then the team would not participate in the tournament. The same decision was later conveyed to the Cricket Board.

Will Bangladesh do anything now?

The Cricket Board has made it clear that it will not challenge this decision. A senior board official said, "We will not take any legal action or appeal. Whatever the decision is, it is final."

What will be its impact?

Bangladesh's exit is big news for the cricket world. There is also discussion inside that many players of the team wanted to play in India, but due to the government's decision, they did not succeed.

Now Scotland will play in the World Cup and the picture of the group will change. Besides, this matter may also give rise to a new debate regarding the ICC tournaments to be held in India in the future.