Bangladesh’s sports activities adviser Asif Nazrul addresses a press convention in Dhaka on November 3, 2025. — AFPICC safety crew despatched letter to BCB, confirms Nazrul. He says nobody ought to have monopoly over cricket. “We will not compromise on this matter,” says Nazrul.
Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul on Monday called the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) expectations to drop Mustafizur Rahman from the national team “bizarre” and “unrealistic”.
Chatting with the media, the sports activities adviser slammed the ICC for its response to the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) safety considerations about sending the nationwide crew to India for the ICC Males’s T20I World Cup 2026 amid tense diplomatic relations.
Nazrul stated: “We have sent two letters (to the ICC), after which the ICC security team have sent a letter.” The BCB would release the letter to the media at an appropriate time, he added.
Tensions between the two sides emerged after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released the Bangladeshi fast bowler after being told to do so by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Indian Premier League (IPL) team had said.
The Bangladesh sports adviser said the letter cited three potential security risks: Mustafiz’s inclusion in the squad, Bangladeshi fans wearing team jerseys in India, and upcoming elections in Bangladesh.
“This statement of the ICC security team has proven beyond a doubt that there is no situation for the Bangladesh cricket team to play the T20 World Cup in India,” he added.
Nazrul stated that if the ICC expects them to make a cricket crew with out our “best bowler”, our supporters will be unable to put on the Bangladesh jersey, and we’ll postpone the Bangladesh elections to play cricket, then there might be no “more bizarre, unrealistic and unreasonable expectation” than this.
The ICC’s letter made it clear that situations weren’t conducive for the Bangladesh crew to play in India, he added.
With out naming the BCCI, Nazrul stated nobody ought to have a monopoly over cricket. He maintained that the way forward for any sport or event can’t be determined solely on market administration.
“We will not compromise on this matter in any way,” Nazrul added.
Reacting to Nazrul’s assertion, the BCB clarified that the ICC’s reply shouldn’t be thought of as an “official response”.
In an announcement, the board stated that Nazrul referred to the “contact” between the BCB and the ICC.
“The BCB is still waiting for the ICC’s [official] response,” it added.
Bangladesh has requested the ICC to shift its matches from India to a different venue, the board added.
