Bangladesh government probes decision to skip T20 World Cup
What's the story
The Bangladesh government has set up a committee to probe the previous administration's decision not to send the national cricket team for the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup in India. The move led to Bangladesh's exit from the tournament in February and March. The sports ministry announced on Monday that Dr. AKM Oli Ullah, a former additional secretary, will head this committee.
Panel composition
Committee formed to investigate the matter
The committee also includes former Bangladesh captain and current chief selector Habibul Bashar, and Faisal Dastagir. They have been asked to look into all matters related to Bangladesh's withdrawal from the T20 World Cup. The panel is expected to submit its report within 15 working days. This investigation comes after a series of events that led to Bangladesh missing out on the tournament earlier this year.
Sequence
BCCI asked KKR to release Mustafizur on January 3
The chain of events started on January 3, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. This happened amid strained relations between the Indian and Bangladeshi governments. The next day, Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh's then-sports adviser, suggested on Facebook that ICC should shift Bangladesh's T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka.
Decision
Nazrul's statement and BCB's request to ICC
Nazrul asked the BCB to explain the whole matter to ICC, saying if a Bangladeshi cricketer can't play in India despite being contracted, the entire team can't feel safe going for the World Cup. He also asked BCB to request that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka. After BCB informed ICC about their decision not to play in India due to security concerns, it was rejected as there were no valid security concerns.
Replacement
ICC rejects Bangladesh's request, Scotland replace them
On January 24, after an ICC board meeting rejected Bangladesh's request to play matches in Sri Lanka, the country was removed from the tournament and replaced by Scotland. The day before national elections in Bangladesh, Nazrul said he hadn't made any decisions regarding this withdrawal and blamed the players instead. After a new government was formed, sports minister Aminul Haque expressed his desire to mend ties with India over this issue.