Bangladesh will now be seen as potential troublemaker in cricket: Former BCB secretary

Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary and ex–chief executive officer of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Syed Ashraful Haque, feels Bangladesh will now be viewed as a potential troublemaker in world cricket following their pull-out from the T20 World Cup 2026. Bangladesh decided to boycott the T20 World Cup after holding a meeting with the players, with the BCB citing security concerns as the primary reason for their withdrawal.

The board also stated that its concerns were not being addressed adequately by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and, as a result, it had decided not to send the team to India. The BCB was subsequently given an ultimatum by the ICC to take a final decision and is now likely to be replaced by Scotland in the tournament.

Following the decision, Syed Ashraful Haque criticised the board’s administration for being subservient to the government, while highlighting the large-scale implications the move could have on Bangladesh cricket.

“It is very unfortunate that the present board is totally subservient to the decision of a government that will not be around after a few weeks. However, the damage left behind and the possible seclusion from the international cricket community will have far-reaching consequences, as Bangladesh will be considered a potential troublemaker in cricketing circles,” Haque told Cricbuzz.

He also pointed out how the players have been deprived of their lifelong ambitions of playing in a World Cup tournament.

“Any self-respecting cricket board would have passed on the ICC’s security measures to the team and asked the players to take a call. If they felt insecure, then by all means they should not go, but the decision should have come from the players, not from the government or the board. They have deprived the players of their lifetime ambitions of playing in a World Cup just to suit a questionable agenda,” he added.

Bangladesh’s refusal to participate in the T20 World Cup in India was reaffirmed on Thursday, January 22, by sports adviser Asif Nazrul, despite the International Cricket Council granting the Bangladesh Cricket Board a final window to reconsider its stance. The ICC had already made it clear that the tournament will go ahead as scheduled and has rejected Bangladesh’s request to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka, stating that there is no credible security threat in India.

WHO REPLACED BANGLADESH?

Scotland, in the meantime, have been officially named as Bangladesh’s replacement for the T20 World Cup, the ICC confirmed on Friday, January 24, after Bangladesh withdrew citing security concerns and claiming their issues were not adequately addressed by the global body.

The decision paved the way for Scotland, who have featured in five T20 World Cups, including the 2022 and 2024 editions. Although they failed to progress to the Super 8s on both occasions, Scotland impressed in 2024 by pushing Australia and England before bowing out. Despite finishing behind Italy, the Netherlands and Jersey in the European qualifiers, Scotland were next in line due to their ICC rankings.

Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India is believed to have intensified after Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from KKR’s IPL 2026 plans, amid reports of strained diplomatic relations. A prolonged stand-off followed, with the ICC rejecting Bangladesh’s security concerns and retaining the original schedule.