Bangladesh Cricket Board faces backlash after ICC T20 World Cup exit, accused of betraying…

New Delhi: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has thrown the country’s cricket administration into turmoil. Just hours after the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially removed Bangladesh from the 2026 T20 World Cup, the board executed a dramatic U-turn by reinstating M. Nazmul Islam as head of its finance committee.

The national players, who had just canceled a high-stakes boycott after being assured of accountability, specifically, Nazmul’s removal from the board, have seen the decision as a betrayal of their trust.

The crisis was triggered by comments from M. Nazmul Islam, a BCB director whose remarks drew public criticism from the board itself. The controversy began after former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal suggested that the BCB engage in dialogue with the BCCI to resolve World Cup venue-related issues. In response, Nazmul publicly branded Tamim a “proven Indian agent,” sparking widespread backlash.

The remarks did not end there. Nazmul further alienated the squad by stating that players were not entitled to compensation if Bangladesh pulled out of the World Cup. He went a step further by suggesting that the board should recover money from players when performances fall short.

Provoked by Nazmul’s remarks, the Bangladesh players under the leadership of Mohammad Mithun, president of the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh, along with Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, announced a boycott of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

The protest forced the BCB into action. In a bid to safeguard the BPL and its broadcast revenues, the board removed Nazmul from his finance committee role and issued him a show-cause notice. Believing the board had finally acted to uphold their dignity, the players called off the boycott and returned to the field. However, the relief proved short-lived.

After Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, citing security concerns that were deemed “non-credible” by the ICC’s independent experts, the global governing body moved to replace them with Scotland.

The most distrustful incident occurred when the BCB chose to reinstate M. Nazmul Islam as head of its finance committee. According to reports in the Bangladesh media, Nazmul’s response to the show-cause notice was deemed “satisfactory,” prompting the board to swiftly restore him to his former role.

This action has accused the BCB for betraying their own players. BCB is more concerned with shielding the entrenched “old guard” than standing by the players who take the field. The board neither heeded the players willingness to participate in the T20 World Cup nor took meaningful action against Nazmul, despite protests that disrupted the BPL, the country’s premier T20 competition.