Bangladesh Coach Releases Behind The Scenes Of T20 World Cup Exit, Government Humiliated

Controversy continues in Bangladesh Cricket [Source: AFP]

Ever since Bangladesh pulled out of the T20 World Cup 2026, the nation has been marred with controversies, and another one was loaded when Bangladesh’s national team assistant coach, Mohammad Salahuddin, slammed former Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul, as he called him a “blatant liar."

The controversy erupted when Bangladesh decided to pull out of the T20 World Cup due to India’s treatment of Mustafizur Rahman and Nazrul initially stated that this decision to not play in the World Cup was a government directive, and the players had no say in it.

However, a week later, he took a sudden U-turn and stated that the move to not play the T20 World Cup in India was a voluntary sacrifice by the players and the board (BCB) for the sake of national security.

Bangladesh coach blasts Nazrul for throwing players under the bus

The change in statement caused widespread criticism within the Bangladesh cricket team, as several players reportedly expressed their displeasure in how they were treated like puppets despite not having any role in the decision-making.

On February 12, Nazrul tried to calm things down as he issued a clarification, admitting that he had failed to explain the situation clearly, and at the same time, he applauded the Bangladesh players for standing with the nation.

However, Salahuddin stated that the damage had already been done, as he called Nazrul a liar.

“He told such blatant lies,” Salahuddin told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium."

“I myself am a teacher; teachers generally lie a bit less. That he would say such lies so openly—I honestly can’t even imagine it. How will I even show my face in front of the boys? He is a teacher at Dhaka University. A person from the highest educational institution of my country telling such lies—we can’t accept this. How can we accept this? He said one thing earlier and later took a U-turn,” Salahuddin said.

Also Read: BCB Official Distances From Bangladesh Cricket After T20 World Cup Exit

Salahuddin sympathizes with the Bangladesh cricketers

While taking a direct dig at Nazrul, Salahuddin also showed sympathy towards the Bangladesh players as he stressed the human cost of withdrawal and how it affects the players mentally.

“When a boy goes to play in a World Cup, he brings his dream—his 27-year-old dream—there,” he said. “You destroy that dream in one second. Fine, if it’s a country’s decision taken for national reasons, they will sacrifice for the country. But if you talk about loss, I will talk only about personal loss.”

Salahuddin also mentioned that two players suffered mental breakdowns due to the aftermath of the Bangladesh boycott.

“I know that two of my players went into a kind of coma—mentally—for five days, completely lost. The fact that we were able to bring them back onto the field in this tournament is itself a big thing."

Why Bangladesh pulled out of T20 World Cup

Bangladesh player, Mustafizur Rahman was signed by the IPL franchise, KKR, for the IPL 2026 season. The contract was signed, but the franchise was eventually pressured to release the player due to the geopolitical turmoil that happened in Bangladesh.

KKR obliged with the government’s call, and Mustafizur was removed from the league, and it spread backlash in Bangladesh as BCB threatened to fight against India’s injustice.

The nation gave threats to boycott the T20 World Cup if their games were not shifted to Sri Lanka, but ICC ignored their plea, and Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland in the T20 World Cup.

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