Bangladesh national Cricket team assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin criticized former sports advisor Asif Nazrul for changing his position on the team’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Nazrul initially stated that the decision to withdraw was made by the government but later shifted his stance before leaving office, claiming it was the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the players who made the call. Salahuddin called this a “blatant lie.”
“He told such blatant lies. I’m a teacher, and teachers generally don’t lie so freely. I can’t believe he said this openly. How will I face the players after this? He took such a U-turn,” Salahuddin told Cricbuzz.
“He is a teacher at Dhaka University. It’s unacceptable for someone from our top educational institution to lie like this. We can’t accept it. He said one thing before and then changed his story.”
Salahuddin also mentioned that the Bangladesh players were deeply affected by the decision, saying, “two of my players were numb for days.”
“When a player goes to the World Cup, it’s their lifelong dream. You can destroy that dream in an instant. If the country made a decision for national reasons, they would accept it, but this was a personal loss for them. I know two of my players were completely lost for days,” he explained.
“Getting them back onto the field in this tournament is a major achievement for me as a coach. A player dreams of participating in the World Cup for years. While financial aspects matter, the dream of playing in the World Cup is what truly counts,” he added.
“For the sake of the country, I am willing to sacrifice many things, and the players are too. But who told the boy, ‘You couldn’t play because of this’? Better communication could have made this easier to accept,” he concluded.
