DHAKA, Bangladesh – Zia-ul-Haq Tanin had his February planned around the T20 World Cup.
The former first-class cricketer turned sporting goods entrepreneur from Thakurgaon in northwest Bangladesh had planned a trip that would combine business, visiting family and being a cricket fan.
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Tanin had secured premium hospitality tickets at the famous Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata where Bangladesh will play against Italy on February 9.
Those plans were scrapped after Bangladesh announced it would not send a men’s team to India for the tournament, citing safety concerns.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move Bangladesh matches from India to Sri Lanka, but the governing body rejected the request. Bangladesh’s resolute stance resulted in them being expelled from the tournament and competing at the expense of Scotland.
The decision has drawn Bangladesh’s most popular sport into a broader political dispute, with opinion divided between those who support the government’s position and those concerned about the long-term impact on the sport.
How cricket became a victim of politics
Tensions escalated further after January 3, when Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was excluded from the Indian Premier League, a move Bangladeshi officials said highlighted the impact of extremist pressure on Indian cricket authorities.
In Dhaka, the incident fueled widespread resentment against India, rooted in trade disputes and anger over New Delhi hosting former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been on the run since her ouster in August 2024.
In that tense atmosphere, cricket, Bangladesh’s most emotional public forum, became a mouthpiece for questions of security and national dignity, with debate dominating social media, TV talk shows and conversations in Mirpur, the country’s center of cricket culture.
Approximately one and a half years after the large-scale uprising in Bangladesh in July 2024, there are signs of a thaw in relations with India.
Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar visited Dhaka for former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s funeral, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent a letter of reconciliation to Khaleda’s son Tariq Rahman, and Jaishankar and Rahman later held a brief meeting.
Contacts between the Indian High Commission and Jamaat-e-Islami have further fueled speculation that New Delhi is recalibrating its Bangladesh policy ahead of the elections.
But that cautious optimism was suddenly dashed by the actions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and cricket was drawn into the center of a new political conflict.
Security first, cricket second
Many supporters argue that the government had little room to maneuver.
Shamim Chaudhry, head of research at Dhaka-based sports channel T-Sports, said the issue hurt Bangladeshi sentiments and called into question the role of the ICC. “The ICC’s double standards have been exposed,” he told Al Jazeera.
Abu Zar Ansar Ahmed, a sports journalist in Dhaka, said safety concerns extended not only to the players but also to staff, journalists and supporters. As national elections approach, he warned that any incident involving a Bangladeshi national in India could spark widespread anger in the country. “From that point of view, Bangladesh took the right decision,” he said.
Some, while accepting the security logic, are concerned about the long-term costs to cricket. Hail Islam, a Dhaka-based university lecturer, said the level of threat should have been assessed more carefully and suggested hosting in a third country as an alternative.
It seems that there is strong support on the streets. At a tea stall in Dhaka’s Tejgaon district, vendor Bilal Hossain supported the boycott, citing violence against Muslims in India and border tensions. “If something were to happen to our players, it would be disastrous,” he said.
Of the 14 people interviewed by Al Jazeera across Dhaka, seven supported the government’s decision, three opposed, all identified themselves as supporters of Hasina’s party, the Awami League, and four refused party affiliation but still supported the boycott. Overall, support outweighs opposition, with opposition primarily driven by concerns about the impact on the game of cricket rather than security.
Players regret missed opportunities
The Bangladeshi cricket team, the main character of the story, has remained mostly silent for fear of becoming embroiled in a diplomatic dispute, but there are many people who are worried about it inside.
Two national team players spoke on the following terms in an interview with Al Jazeera. anonymoussaid the team had prepared intensively and felt confident after a strong run in T20 cricket. In 2025, Bangladesh won 15 out of 30 matches. This is the highest record in the shortest format of the match in a calendar year.
“I felt ready,” one player said.
Both sides expressed their team’s desire to qualify for the T20 World Cup, either in India or elsewhere, and hoped for a compromise on the venue. They say missing a tournament means more than lost game money, it limits exposure to quality opponents, franchise opportunities and career growth.
One player said, “It’s not just about the money.” “It’s a chance to grow.”
Neither player publicly criticized the government or the board, saying they felt unsafe speaking out because India was at the center of the conflict.
However, with Bangladesh’s absence from the T20 World Cup, cricketers from all over the world are facing an unexpected break. To take advantage of this free period, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) proposed them a local T20 tournament, which was quickly organized.
Titled ‘Odomo Bangladesh T20 Cup’, the three-team event will offer a total of Tk25 million ($200,000) in tournament prize money and player participation fees.
“The sadness of not being able to play is bigger.”
Not all players in the cricket world support the hardline stance.
Former Bangladesh batsman Anamul Haq Bijoy said the World Cup is the pinnacle of a cricketer’s career and it is a dream not many can achieve, and appealed to people to value sports over politics.
“Sports should come first,” he said.
Some directly challenged critics.
Behind the scenes, criticism has also become sharper. Former BCB Director-General Ahmed Sajjadul Alam said the decision reflected government intervention and warned of economic losses and damage to Bangladesh’s standing within the ICC.
Syed Ashraful Haq, another former board member who was instrumental in securing Test qualification for Bangladesh, argued that the country’s influence in world cricket was waning and that the issue could have been resolved through dialogue.
Former captain Mohammad Ashraful was pragmatic, pointing out that the tour requires government approval. While he acknowledged the disappointment, especially for young players, he said the financial loss would be manageable, but “the sadness of not being able to play is greater.”
Pakistan’s support and future development
The dispute took on a regional dimension after the Pakistan Cricket Board backed Bangladesh and urged the ICC to reconsider venue arrangements. Some in Dhaka see this as a challenge to India’s primacy, but officials reject the idea of a new alliance.
Former BCB chief Alam dismissed talk of a Bangladesh-Pakistan axis, calling Pakistan a long-time friend of cricket. BCB officials also declined to suggest formal collaboration.
BCB says the matter has been resolved and there will be no arbitration. BCB director Amjad Hossain said: “We have accepted the ICC’s decision.”
Attention has now shifted to the management of radioactive fallout. Proposals to hold additional tournaments to compensate for player losses have not yet been confirmed, with the board saying the benefits are being handled internally.
Government Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul said the decision to cancel the trip was taken at ministerial level after the ICC refused to change the dates.
For fans like Tanin, the cost is personal – canceled plans, unused visas and unused World Cup tickets – reflecting a broader national sense of loss as cricket once again collides with politics.
Pakistan’s decision not to take part in the T20 World Cup match against India sent shockwaves through the cricketing world, and its impact extended to Bangladesh as well.
Several senior BCB officials said the move could reduce the board’s potential revenue from the ICC. But one BCB executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was little the board could do at this stage. He added that crises can always be resolved through dialogue.
Referring to Pakistan’s boycott, he said Pakistan has always been a good friend of Bangladesh in cricket and has always maintained friendly relations.
dark diplomacy
Questions have arisen over how diplomatic communications were handled. A Bangladeshi foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity that the government was not formally involved in the process as the BCB was communicating directly with the ICC.
Neither the BCB nor the Ministry of Youth and Sports has directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get involved, leaving officials relying primarily on media reports.
Humayun Kabir, a political and diplomatic analyst and former ambassador to Bangladesh, said recklessness on both sides made the situation even more uncertain. He claimed that organizations in both Bangladesh and India are actively working to derail normalization efforts using multiple flashpoints, and cricket could be added to that list.
Bangladeshi cricket, once a uniting force, is now embroiled in politics. Supporters recognize sovereignty, critics recognize the setbacks of a promising generation, and athletes recognize lost stages.
It remains to be seen whether this will strengthen Bangladesh’s position or weaken its place in the world of cricket, but the cost is already being felt far beyond the line.
