Bangladesh’s cricket team did not travel to play in the last T20 World Cup because of a decision by former youth and sports adviser Asif Nazrul, according to the report of an investigation committee formed to find out why the team skipped the tournament. The committee, formed by the National Sports Council in March, released its report on Tuesday.
The three-member panel was led by youth and sports ministry additional secretary (administration wing) Dr A K M Waliullah, with Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Foysal Dostagir and former national captain and current chief selector Habibul Bashar as members.
At a press conference at the National Sports Council, committee member Barrister Foysal said that, based on the investigation’s findings, conversations with those concerned, media reports and everything considered together, the person responsible for the decision not to go and play in the World Cup was the then-youth and sports adviser, Asif Nazrul. He said the government of that time, along with Nazrul, bore responsibility. As a representative of the investigation committee, Foysal said Bangladesh should certainly have gone to play in the World Cup.
The 22-page report given to the media said the committee interviewed 12 people and presented a summary of their statements. Among the cricketers interviewed were Bangladesh’s T20 captain Liton Kumar Das and Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. From within cricket circles, the committee also interviewed former captain and current BCB president Tamim Iqbal Khan, the board’s former general secretary and former general secretary of the Asian Cricket Council, Syed Ashraful Huq, BCB chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, BCB coach and then senior assistant coach of the national team Mohammad Salauddin, and then BCB director and head of the cricket operations department, Najmul Abedin. The committee also spoke with youth and sports secretary Md Mahbub-ul-Alam.
As media representatives, the committee interviewed Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association president Arifur Rahman Babu and general secretary S M Sumon, along with Bangladesh Sports Press Association president Reduanuzzaman and general secretary Sudipta Ahmed.
However, the investigation committee said that despite repeated attempts to reach the two figures at the centre of the controversy — former sports adviser Asif Nazrul and then-BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul — neither responded.
The report notes that after securing a record-value spot with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, Mustafizur Rahman was dropped by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) under pressure from Hindu hardliners, with security cited as the official reason. It was over this same issue that Bangladesh’s cricket team did not travel to India to play the T20 World Cup. The team had wanted to play in the United Arab Emirates instead, as Pakistan did, but the ICC did not agree to this. As a result, the ICC gave Bangladesh’s place in the World Cup to Scotland.