Bangladesh’s World Cup uncertainty sharpened after a meeting between cricketers and senior stakeholders left players feeling they were briefed on a decision already taken, rather than consulted on one still in play, as reported by Cricbuzz.
The dressing room’s frustration, in private and in whispers, is less about the outcome than the route to it — a sense that the usual “sit-and-hear-us” culture has been replaced by a top-down instruction, with players reduced to recipients of a pre-written script.
“The meeting was called not to give our consent as it was made out to be initially. Rather, we were called so that we are aware of the development in the ongoing crisis. They made up their mind and decided what they will do before coming into the meeting, and it’s not like any decision was taken taking our views into consideration,” said a cricketer on condition of anonymity.
“They didn’t ask. They made the plan directly and said it’s not happening. Earlier, they would sit with us and hear us out. But now, they’ve already said we’re not going,” he said.
“The thing is, Bangladesh’s government call was already made and nothing else but that’s the real story. It was a direct order from the government – it’s not happening.”
The quotes underline a clear internal split: players, by and large, appear to believe the team is prepared and willing, while the decision-making chain has moved beyond cricket logic into security and state policy. It was learnt that during the meeting, captain Litton Das and Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto spoke up and insisted they were ready to play in the tournament.
Following the meeting, Nazrul told reporters that Bangladesh would not change its stance and accused the ICC of failing to deliver “proper justice”, adding that neither the ICC nor the Indian government had taken any meaningful steps to address Bangladesh’s specific grievances.
In response, government and BCB officials highlighted previous incidents involving threats to Bangladeshi players. They also cited security concerns, along with the safety of spectators and journalists — broadening the issue beyond the team alone and framing it as an event-wide risk.
“Cricket is finished. If we don’t go, it will be our cricket’s loss. Who cares?,” said another cricketer on request of anonymity.
The cricketers were further informed that the BCCI had not contacted them, with officials questioning how a team could be sent under such circumstances. “Bangladesh is supposed to go, but now if they act like this, how can a country send a team?” the source said.
BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul attempted to offer reassurance, but it had little impact on the players — who, even while expressing their views, seemed convinced the outcome was fixed.
“What can he (Aminul) say apart from giving us comfort mentally and we know and understand his situation very well,” said the cricketer. “We did give our opinion but we understand from the beginning that they already decided that we’re not going to play the World Cup in India.”
A member of the team management who attended the meeting said he felt sorry for the players, who had prepared extensively for the showpiece event.
“I feel sorry for the cricketers because they are ones who had put up a lot of effort to develop as a formidable T20I unit and you cannot deny our recent results validate the claim,” he said. “We can only hope this too shall pass.”
For now, the mood across Bangladesh cricket appears to be equal parts anger and waiting — with attention already shifting to the February 12 general election, and a hope within the cricket fraternity that a change in the political weather could still change the cricket forecast too.
