Earlier, after a meeting with Bangladesh team cricketers in Dhaka on January 22, Asif Nazrul said, “We hope ICC will give us a chance to play in Sri Lanka. It is our government’s decision not to go to India. Our concerns are about security. But ICC has not accepted them.”

Just a few weeks before the start of the T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh government announced that it would not send the team to India. Two days later the International Cricket Council (ICC) included Scotland in the world tournament instead of Bangladesh. However, on February 10, Nazrul changed his stance and claimed that BCB and the cricketers took the decision not to play the match in India.

According to a Cricbuzz report, he told reporters, “There is no question of regret for not playing the World Cup. The BCB and the players have taken this decision to protect the safety of cricket, the safety of the people and the national pride.”

Asif further added that the recent decision of ICC not to impose any penalty on Bangladesh cricket is a big step. He further said, “ICC has said there will be no ban and Bangladesh will also be considered for hosting an international tournament. This is a tremendous achievement. I salute the Bangladesh Cricket Board.”

It is to be noted that Bangladeshi cricketers called the meeting with Asif ‘undemocratic’. So far, no Bangladeshi cricketer has publicly reacted to Asif’s confusing position change. However, they alleged that the January 22 meeting with the sports advisor was not democratic.