Shakib Al Hasan has labelled Bangladesh’s boycott of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup “a blunder from the government side.”
“I think it was a big loss. It was a great miss as far as Bangladesh cricket is concerned,” Shakib was reported as saying by ESPNcricinfo, on the sidelines of a EUT20 Belgium event in Mumbai.
“We as a country love watching our players playing in the World Cup. We are a cricket-loving country. I think it was a blunder from the government side that they took the decision not to participate in the World Cup.”
Shakib remains hopeful that the relations between the BCB and the BCCI will get better with time.
“I think things will get better,” Shakib said. “The effort should be made [to improve relationship between BCCI and BCB]. I think one or two series if Bangladesh visit to India or India go to Bangladesh; like I heard there’s a series that is likely to happen in August or September. When that happens, I think the ice will break, and things will get better.”
What caused tension between BCB and BCCI?
Bangladesh were placed in Group C for the marquee tournament alongside England, West Indies, Italy and Nepal. Three of their matches were scheduled in Kolkata. Their last group-stage fixture was to be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
However, the Mohammad Yunus-led Bangladesh government made the call to boycott the event after the ICC didn’t entertain their request to relocate their matches outside of India. It all began after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Mustafizur Rahman after the BCCI’s instruction.
The move enraged the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the government in power at the time. They announced a ban on the broadcast of the IPL and made the request for a venue change, citing security concerns.The ICC performed a thorough security check and assured BCB of their players’ safety, citing the findings.
But the BCB remained unmoved and, consequently, Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland on January 24, after several backchannel talks.
