Mehidy Hasan Miraz Openly Blames Bangladesh For T20 World Cup 2026 Snub

Mehidy Hasan Miraz [Source: X]

Months after the T20 World Cup 2026 concluded, Bangladesh ODI skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz opened up on the issue again while taking a subtle dig at the Bangladesh Cricket Board because of the missed opportunity at one of the biggest stages of world cricket. 

Bangladesh was selectively kicked out by the ICC and replaced by Scotland after the then BCB president demanded the World Cup venue shift from India due to socio-religious reasons. Nevertheless, the ICC as well as the BCCI didn't kneel to the demands, and the Bangladesh cricket team had to give up the opportunity to feature in the World Cup despite being qualified for the tournament.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz slams Bangladesh for missing T20 World Cup 2026

While multiple cricketers from the country raised their voices at the time of the exit from the tournament, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has now elaborately discussed the issue while speaking to RevSportz. 

During a chat with a RevSportz representative, the interviewer asked whether the BCB should have sent the cricket team to India to play the T20 World Cup, Miraz replied diplomatically, describing it as a political issue. 

“I think that was a political issue. I don’t have much to say beyond that,” Miraz shared.

As political as it was, the Bangladesh government was also involved in the decision-making along with the cricket board, which justifies Miraz's claim after the altercation took on a Hindu-Muslim angle, effectively stemming from the eviction of Mustafizur Rahman from playing IPL 2026 for Kolkata Knight Riders. 

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Mehidy Hasan Miraz regrets opportunity for young players

Nevertheless, Miraz also strongly expressed the disappointment they felt because they were deprived of playing in a World Cup tournament. He spoke about how the younger generation and emerging talents dreamt of that opportunity, but those dreams were spoiled because of the political tussle between India and Bangladesh.

“Every player dreams of playing in a World Cup. Many of our younger players also wanted that opportunity. Unfortunately, it happened because of political issues, and everyone knows the situation,” Mehidy Hasan Miraz added.

What happened after Bangladesh’s snub?

Interestingly, an official inquiry was also launched by the Bangladesh Ministry of Youth and Sports, representing a major course correction following the country's historic withdrawal from the ICC event. 

The inquiry was headed by Dr. AKM Wali Ullah, the Additional Secretary of Administration. Habibul Bashar, the former national team captain and chief selector for the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and barrister Faisal Dastagir were appointed to lead the panel. 

After reviewing the matter, the panel found that it was a diplomatic failure, with the previous administration abruptly requesting the ICC to shift Bangladesh's matches to Sri Lanka over unverified security risks. 

Now, under Tamim Iqbal, the previous administration has been publicly condemned, with the new leadership stating that it was the fault of both the government and the previous BCB administration that the Bengal Tigers had to miss out on an opportunity on such a global stage.

BCB looking forward to mending ties with India

Since then, following Bangladesh's boycott of India, the cricketing relationship between the two nations has been under severe strain, with both countries engaging in a cold war after stripping each other of media rights for their respective cricket matches. 

However, recently, India-Bangladesh cricket relations have shown strong signs of improvement. Bangladesh recently invited expressions of interest from media partners, highlighting a proposed India vs Bangladesh white-ball bilateral series in September 2026. The BCCI is yet to give a green signal to the arrangement, however, it can be understood that the mutual development for the series is currently in progress.

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