Shakib Al Hasan on Bangladesh T20 World Cup pull-out – ‘A blunder from the government side’

Shakib Al Hasan feels Bangladesh’s interim government committed a “blunder” by not allowing the national team to take part in the T20 World Cup held in February-March. The ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after their government refused permission for them to travel and play in India, citing security concerns.

It was the first time since 1999 that Bangladesh had not been involved in a World Cup.

“I think it was a big loss. It was a great miss as far as Bangladesh cricket is concerned,” Shakib said on the sidelines of a EUT20 Belgium event in Mumbai. “We as a country love watching our players playing in the World Cup. We are a cricket-loving country. I think it was a blunder from the government side that they took the decision not to participate in the World Cup.”

The situation arose after the BCCI removed Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL for unspecified reasons, against the backdrop of deteriorating political ties between India and Bangladesh. The BCB had pushed for Bangladesh’s matches to be relocated to Sri Lanka, but the ICC Board voted against that.

In the weeks of negotiations that eventually broke down, Asif Nazrul, who was then Bangladesh’s sports adviser, had said on several occasions that the BCB had acted on the government’s orders. After Bangladesh’s ouster from the World Cup had been confirmed, however, Nazrul had backtracked and claimed that the BCB had acted independently.

Bangladesh’s decision to not travel to India strained the relationship between the BCB and the BCCI. Shakib said he expects things to improve between the two boards, especially if India tour Bangladesh for a white-ball series in September this year.

“I think things will get better,” Shakib said. “The effort should be made [to improve relationship between BCCI and BCB]. I think one or two series if Bangladesh visit to India or India go to Bangladesh; like I heard there’s a series that is likely to happen in August or September. When that happens, I think the ice will break, and things will get better.

Shakib, however, welcomed Tamim as the BCB chief. “I think he will have a long-term plan if he becomes president,” Shakib said. “Hopefully Bangladesh cricket will get benefit from him.”

Shakib, Bangladesh’s greatest cricketer and one of the world’s leading allrounders, has not played international cricket since October 2024, though he continues to play franchise tournaments around the world. He now lives in the USA, and has not returned to Bangladesh since the ouster of the Awami League government in August 2024. Shakib was a Member of Parliament with that party. He faces several cases that were filed against him after the fall of that government, but Bangladesh’s new sports minister Aminul Haque has said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, which came into power in February 2026, would fast-track the cases against both Shakib and Mashrafe Mortaza – another former Bangladesh captain and Awami League MP – to enable their returns to Bangladesh cricket.

Shakib had said earlier this year in a podcast hosted by the former England allrounder Moeen Ali that he hopes to return to Bangladesh and play a full series, with matches in all three formats, before announcing his retirement.

“I think things will start getting better sooner or later,” Shakib said on Wednesday, when asked if he wants to play a farewell match in Dhaka. “I am hopeful that I can get what I want.”

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