Bangladesh Cricket Chief 'Walked Into A Trap' Over T20 World Cup Stance Against India: Ex-Top Official

[rollingstoned]

Bangladesh Cricket Chief 'Walked Into A Trap' Over T20 World Cup Stance Against India: Ex-Top Official

 

 

Aminul Islam Bulbul and Mohsin Naqvi held talks in Lahore amid Pakistan's boycott threat.

 

Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, being played in India and Sri Lanka, there appeared to be an unprecedented tussle with the International Cricket Council, with Bangladesh and Pakistan making some strange demands

 

In the contours of world cricket, Asian teams are increasingly playing a vital role. Together, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan command far more eyeballs than other cricket-playing nations. But it's far from a united house. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, being played in India and Sri Lanka, there appeared to be an unprecedented tussle with the International Cricket Council, with Bangladesh and Pakistan making some strange demands. First, Bangladesh refused to travel to India citing "security issues", and then Pakistan began a "boycott drama" for the India match. Pakistan's logic was that they were acting in "solidarity" with Bangladesh, who were removed from the T20 World Cup for refusing to travel to India.

 

Syed Ashraful Haque, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), discussed in an interview with Revsportz how BCB head Aminul Islam may have been misled by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

 

Ashraful was asked: "Do you think Pakistan played a role in provoking Bangladesh's decision?"

"Possibly, though I prefer not to discuss politics. As a cricket administrator, I focus on honesty and commitment. Aminul Islam, likely being naive, was influenced by Mr. Mohsin Naqvi, the current ACC president, who persuaded him to go along. At the end of the day, who won?" he replied.

 

He was also asked about Bangladesh's decision not to tour India, which resulted in their removal from the T20 World Cup.

"I always believed the decision taken by the Bangladesh government at the time, particularly by the then sports adviser (Asif Nazrul), was premature. There was no justification for such a drastic decision simply because Mustafizur Rahman was not allowed to play in the IPL in India," Haque said.

 

"We had ample time to negotiate with the BCCI and, if necessary, the Indian government. The ICC organised the tournament and provided security, which they fulfilled. If we still had concerns, the government could have requested additional assurances regarding player safety."

 

Haque went on to explain why BCB chairman Aminul "walked into a trap" and how players suffered because of it.

"He lacks an understanding of international cricket diplomacy. He walked into a trap, overly concerned with pleasing the government rather than protecting his players, who are the nation's greatest assets," he said.

 

"Players like Liton Das, Mustafizur Rahman, and Najmul Shanto are in their early 30s - missing this World Cup is an injustice to them and to Bangladesh's cricket fans. After India, Bangladesh is probably the most cricket-obsessed nation, and depriving fans of their team in the World Cup is a shame and a let-down."

 

 

Well when you let those pooks instigate you this this is how you get short changed. 

[bsriharsha]

Yeah , if you are dumb enough to get taken advantage of, you probably deserve to face the consequences.

[New guy]

Well the new government seems willing to negotiate so I think finally the country is coming to their senses

[putrevus]

7 hours ago, rollingstoned said:

There was no justification for such a drastic decision simply because Mustafizur Rahman was not allowed to play in the IPL in India," Haque said.

 

This cannot be anything else other than Lahori logic, that idiots from BCB and Bangdesh govt fell for it.Naqvi must have played jazbaa and junoon nonsense card.

 

 

[jf1gp_1]

If one doesn't learn from history then history tends to repeat itself

[Chaos]

Bikaristan sold one again to bikaridesh. Well deserved and no one missed their stinch in world cup

[rkt.india]

1 hour ago, putrevus said:

This cannot be anything else other than Lahori logic, that idiots from BCB and Bangdesh govt fell for it.Naqvi must have played jazbaa and junoon nonsense card.

 

 

Excluding mustafizur was a poor decision too. Either you don't pick but if picked, you can't kick out a player due to political issues. Bangladesh isnt an enemy country like Pakistan. Why create new enemies!

Edited February 20 by rkt.india

[putrevus]

18 minutes ago, rkt.india said:

Excluding mustafizur was a poor decision too. Either you don't pick but if picked, you can't kick out a player due to political issues. Bangladesh isnt an enemy country like Pakistan. Why create new enemies!

I said it many times before it was a big mistake to exclude him after picking him. I don't think anyone in BCCI understood how it would be perceived by others.

 

But it does not mean BCB was right in boycotting the tournament or asking for neutral venue.They overplayed their cards and they understood the moment ICC made its decision.

 

 

[rollingstoned]

2 hours ago, rkt.india said:

Excluding mustafizur was a poor decision too. Either you don't pick but if picked, you can't kick out a player due to political issues. Bangladesh isnt an enemy country like Pakistan. Why create new enemies!

Enmity Jamaatis esp wanted with India, we were just forced to mildly reciprocate. Friendly and cordial relations can't be a one way street. 

[tapandrun]

-

Edited February 21 by tapandrun

[bsriharsha]

Make the bangla board admit that they were wrong and misguided by Naqvi

 

Give them a token tour with the Indian C side.

Edited February 21 by bsriharsha