Asif Nazrul, interim government to blame for Bangladesh missing T20 World Cup: Probe committee

Bangladesh missed out on last year's ICC T20 World Cup in India because of a decision made by the then Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul, with the interim government of the time also bearing responsibility, a three-member investigation committee said after the release of the probe report on Tuesday.

The National Sports Council (NSC) formed the panel in March to look into the circumstances behind Bangladesh's absence from the tournament.

It was headed by Dr AKM Wali Ullah, additional secretary of the administration wing at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. Other members were Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Faisal Dastagir and former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar, now the national team's chief selector.

The report found that the Sports Ministry, under Asif Nazrul, decided against sending the team and informed the BCB, which did not object.

Speaking at a press briefing at the NSC after the report's release, Faisal Dastagir placed direct blame on Nazrul and the administration in power at the time, calling their decision the central reason the team stayed home from the World Cup.

“The investigation was done based on media reports, and analysis available at the time, plus, what the sports experts and sports journalists have said. Based on everything, we can come to this conclusion that the youth and sports adviser at that time, Dr. Asif Nazrul, and the government at that time, were responsible,” Faisal said at the press conference.

He added that a letter from the Sports Ministry formally conveyed the decision to the BCB, which raised no objection at the time.

The committee was unequivocal on the wider question of whether Bangladesh should have travelled for the tournament at all.

"Bangladesh should definitely have gone to the World Cup," Faisal said.

In the probe report, the three biggest reasons behind Bangladesh’s absence were listed as: “Political tensions between Bangladesh and India, ICC refusal to shift venues, Bangladesh government intervention”.

Bangladesh had refused to travel to India for the tournament under security concerns after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman had been removed from the IPL by the BCCI seemingly under pressure from religious and right wing groups.

Bangladesh had asked the ICC to shift their matches to co-host Sri Lanka, but their request was denied. Eventually, Scotland replaced Bangladesh in the tournament.

The 22-page report contains interviews with 12 people, including T20I captain Litton Das, Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and BCB president Tamim Iqbal, among other cricket and ministry officials.

Asif Nazrul, the primary accused, was not interviewed in the report.