T20 World Cup 2026: In what has come as a major surprise, Asif Nazrul, who is Bangladesh's sports advisor, has now revealed that it was the men's team and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and not the government, who chose not to play in the ongoing mega event. In the press conference, Nazrul said that the BCB and the team chose to sacrifice their spot in the mega event to save their national dignity.

His latest statement is in stark contrast to what he said earlier. Post meeting the players last month, he had said their participation would depend on the government's decision.

“The purpose of the meeting was simply to explain to the players why the government took this decision and to provide context. I believe they understood. That was the purpose—nothing else," he had told reporters last month.

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“I think we did not get justice from the ICC. Whether we will play in the World Cup or not is entirely a government decision," he said.

Now, Nazrul appears to be contradicting his own statement.

“There is no question of regret about not playing in the World Cup. This decision was taken by the BCB and the players, as they made sacrifices for the safety of the country’s cricket, the safety of the people, and to protect national dignity," Asif told reporters on Tuesday.

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“The ICC has said there will be no sanctions and that Bangladesh will be considered for hosting an international tournament. This is a brilliant achievement. I salute the Bangladesh Cricket Board," he added.

The ICC had ejected Bangladesh from the tournament after the BCB refused to travel to India for their World Cup matches, citing security concerns. The ICC responded by citing an independent security assessment that proved there’s no credible threat to Bangladeshi players, officials, or fans in India to reject BCB’s request to relocate their matches to Colombo (Sri Lanka).

However, BCB remained adamant, and ICC then invited Scotland to replace Bangladesh.