Bangladeshi players are upset about Sports Advisor Nazrul's reversal on their exclusion from the T20 World Cup, saying, "We are helpless."

Even though the International Cricket Council (ICC) has not punished the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for skipping the 2026 T20 World Cup, the team is already in disarray over the decision. After the national team was kicked out of the Indian Premier League by the BCCI without providing a reason, their government denied them permission to visit India, citing security concerns. But days after having a significant impact on Bangladesh's exclusion from the major event, their Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul changed his mind and blamed the players and the board.

He claimed that both parties were shocked by BCB's and the players' decision to withdraw from the T20 World Cup. "The cricket players and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) came to the decision. They themselves gave their lives to ensure the safety of the nation's cricket team and its citizens. They will always be remembered for their outstanding contribution to preserving Bangladesh's dignity," he said.

This blatantly went against what he had said on January 22. He had stated, "I am making it clear to everyone: the government has the final say over whether to hold the World Cup in India given security concerns."

As expected, Nazrul's statement has angered Bangladeshi cricket players, some of whom responded in the media under anonymity. The players emphasized the state of cricket in the nation, saying they are powerless after being excluded from competitions such as the World Cup.

One player told the Daily Star, "That was funny." "He said something that you heard. What are we able to say? Nobody is here. We have no power. Since we were not involved in this [World Cup exclusion], we are at a loss for words. Many things can be understood without being expressed verbally. Another player opened up about the situation, saying, "We didn't get any help from any side."

Many at the BCB office took issue with Nazrul's remarks, which also shocked them. One BCB director stated, "He [Nazrul] had said something different before and is saying something else now. He himself had declared previously that the team will not go. It was never the BCB's or the players' decision to make, so there is no scope of shifting the responsibility."

However, Asif Nazrul clarified his position on social media after his U-turn statement went viral. He acknowledged that the government made the decision to skip the World Cup, but he also said that the cricket board and players made the decision to skip the major event for the sake of the country's honor.

"I have made it clear in a number of statements since the beginning of January that the government decided not to participate in the World Cup in India due to security concerns. I stand by that statement wholeheartedly. They [BCB and players] complied in spite of monetary losses, being denied the opportunity to play, and being afraid of more sanctions.

In this way, the people themselves should take the main credit for the decision to skip the World Cup in order to protect their safety and national honor. I admit that my ill-prepared response during the press conference prevented me from adequately explaining this. "I firmly reiterate: the government made the decision to not participate in the World Cup," he posted on social media.

In the meantime, it is believed that during Sunday, February 15, India vs. Pakistan in Colombo, BCB President Aminul Islam will try to strike up a conversation with the BCCI. Notably, given the tense relations between the two nations, it is currently doubtful that India will travel to Bangladesh for a white-ball series later this year.