Bangladesh senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin has slammed former sports advisor Asif Nazrul, claiming that two cricketers went into a mental coma after Bangladesh did not play in the T20 World Cup. Nazrul, who served under Bangladesh’s former interim leader Muhammad Yunus, had stood firm on the country’s decision not to play their matches on Indian soil, citing security concerns.
Scotland eventually replaced Bangladesh in Group C, marking the first time the team missed out on participating in the Men’s T20 World Cup. Speaking to reporters ahead of the Bangladesh Cricket League, which begins on February 23, Salahuddin criticised Nazrul for shattering the dreams of young players.
“Look, when a boy goes to play a World Cup, he brings his dream, his 27-year-old dream, here. 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,” Salahuddin told the reporters on Friday.
“Personally, you completely finished a boy’s dream. I know that two of my players went into a kind of coma mentally for five days, completely lost. The fact that we were able to bring them back onto the field in this tournament is itself a big thing,” Salahuddin said.
‘HE TOLD BLATANT LIES’
Salahuddin lashed out at Nazrul for allegedly making blatant false claims and performing a U-turn on his earlier remarks. Initially, Nazrul had stated that it was the Bangladesh government’s decision that the team would not play their matches in India.
However, he later made a dramatic U-turn, asserting that the decision to skip the mega event was actually a collective one taken by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the players themselves to “protect national dignity.”
“He told such blatant lies. I myself am a teacher; 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,” Salahuddin said.
“He is a teacher, 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 added.
WHY DID BANGLADESH BOYCOTT T20 WORLD CUP?
Bangladesh chose to boycott the T20 World Cup primarily due to security concerns and rising political tensions between Dhaka and New Delhi. A major flashpoint was the controversy surrounding Mustafizur Rahman, the team’s leading fast bowler, who was released by his Indian Premier League franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), reportedly at the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The Bangladesh government stated that it would not send the national team to play its scheduled group matches in India after assessing that the safety and well-being of players, officials and supporters could not be guaranteed under the prevailing conditions.
Asif Nazrul said the national team would not participate in the T20 World Cup at the cost of the country’s dignity. The former Bangladesh government also imposed an indefinite ban on the broadcast and promotion of the Indian Premier League.
While their players did not take part in the T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) launched a new domestic tournament, the Odommo T20 Cup. Bangladesh are set to return to international duties in March when they face Pakistan in an ODI series.
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