Bangladesh's assistant coach calls Asif Nazrul 'liar' over T20 World Cup 2026 boycott U-turn

Dhaka:

Bangladesh's senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin has come down hard at the former sports advisor Asif Nazrul for changing his stance on the team's participation in the T20 World Cup 2026. He called Nazrul a liar for stating that the decision to boycott the mega event in India and Sri Lanka was taken by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the cricketers.

"He told such blatant lies. I am a teacher myself, and teachers generally lie a bit less. That he would say such lies so openly - I honestly can't even imagine it. How will I even show my face in front of the boys? He took such a U-turn. He is a teacher, and a teacher at Dhaka University. A person from the highest educational institution of my country saying such lies - we can't accept this. How can we accept this? He said one thing earlier and later took a U-turn," Salahuddin said.

Salahuddin reveals players were devastated over decsion

Mohammad Salahuddin also revealed that the players were devastated after they were told that the Bangladesh cricket team won't be playing the T20 World Cup. He also went on to add that a couple of players from the team also went numb while also calling out that the communication in this aspect should've been better. Several players have already told media that they weren't even asked if they wanted to play in the matter.

"Look, when a boy goes to play a World Cup, he carries his dream - his 27-year-old dream - with him. You destroy that dream in one second. Fine, if it's a country's decision taken for national reasons, they will sacrifice for the country. But if you talk about loss, I will talk only about personal loss. Personally, you completely ended a boy's dream. I know that two of my players went numb for days, completely lost.

"The fact that we were able to bring them back onto the field in this tournament is itself a big thing. I think this is the biggest success of my coaching life - that they came back onto the field and scored runs again. A person dreams for many years of playing a World Cup. Money is a factor, but it's a small one. What really matters is the World Cup he has dreamed about all his life - he wanted to play that World Cup.

"Look, for the sake of the country, I'm also ready to sacrifice many things, and the boys are ready too. But did I put my hand on a boy's head and say, 'Son, you couldn't play because of this'? If things had been communicated properly, I think many things could have been accepted," Salahuddin further added.

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