Tamim Iqbal breaks silence on Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup snub and ties with BCCI

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Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal has finally opened up on the controversial circumstances that led to Bangladesh missing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Speaking after taking charge as head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) interim committee, Tamim criticised the previous administration for how the entire situation involving the ICC and the BCCI was handled.

The controversy began earlier this year after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was reportedly released from Kolkata Knight Riders during IPL 2026 amid diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh. The matter escalated after Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup and requested the ICC to shift its matches to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns. However, discussions failed to produce a solution, and Scotland eventually replaced Bangladesh in the tournament.

Tamim admitted that Bangladesh should have approached the situation differently and insisted there was still enough room to find a workable solution with the ICC. The former opener also reflected on the emotional importance of World Cup qualification for Bangladesh cricket, recalling the nationwide celebrations after the team secured qualification for the 1999 ODI World Cup.

“I was probably the first to speak out when the (T20) World Cup issue happened. What was done, how it was handled by the previous Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) administration, was not right. The ICC was lenient, there was room to find a solution. We should have found it. That celebration brought kids into cricket, everybody wanted to be Minhajul Abedin Nannu, Khaled Mashud, Akram Khan. And we gave away a World Cup without even having a proper dialogue. There might be players in that squad who will never play in a World Cup again. That I did not take nicely,” Tamim said.

Tamim also spoke positively about the current relationship between the BCB and BCCI and revealed that he shares a strong personal bond with current BCCI president Mithun Manhas from their IPL days together.

“Regarding BCCI, I have played a lot of cricket with Mithun Manhas. In the IPL, we were in the same team, he has come to Bangladesh many times to play in Dhaka leagues. Very good rapport. The country’s security is absolutely brilliant at the moment. There is no issue, no security threat, and it has never been for the Indian cricket team. When India comes here, the whole stadium is packed. People love that contest. I personally don’t think BCB and BCCI have any real issues anymore. A series here would be a great way to take the next step forward,” Tamim said.

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Apart from the World Cup controversy, Tamim also criticised the state of domestic cricket in Bangladesh under the previous administration. He claimed several domestic tournaments suffered due to governance issues and alleged that many cricketers were left unpaid.

According to Tamim, the situation became severe enough for multiple clubs to boycott competitions before investigations were launched into the functioning of the previous board. Now leading the interim BCB setup, Tamim stated that his primary focus is rebuilding Bangladesh cricket and ensuring similar controversies do not damage the country’s cricketing future again.

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