'Two of my players went into coma': Bangladesh coach accuses Asif Nazrul of 'blatant lies' in T20 World Cup row

Bangladesh assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin has blasted former sports adviser Asif Nazrul for publicly stating lies regarding the team's participation in the T20 World Cup 2026. Salahuddin revealed that the exclusion from the tournament left his players mentally devastated, claiming that the condition of two members of the squad turned serious.

Bangladesh assistant coach slams Asif Nazrul

Nazrul, who served under Bangladesh's former interim leader Muhammad Yunus, had initially stated that the decision not to travel to India due to security concerns was taken by the government. However, before stepping down from his post, he retracted his earlier statement, divulging that the call was made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the players.

"He told such blatant lies," Salahuddin told reporters.

"I am a teacher myself, and 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 suggested the players had no role in the decision-making process.

"He is 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," he added.

Salahuddin added that the players were devastated to know about the T20 World Cup exclusion.

"Look, when a boy goes to play in a World Cup, he carries his dream - his 27-year-old dream with him. You destroy that dream in one second," said Salahuddin.

"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. Personally, you completely ended a boy's dream. I know that two of my players went into coma mentally for five days, completely lost," Mohammad Salahuddin added.

"For the sake of the country, I'm also ready to sacrifice many things, and the boys are ready too. But did I put my hand on a boy's head and say, 'Son, you couldn't play because of this?' If things had been communicated properly, I think many things could have been accepted," he added.

Despite staying firm in their stand and ultimately not participating in the T20 World Cup 2026, Bangladesh are not levied with any sanctions by the ICC. Rather, the governing council has rendered BCB a massive boost by promising to award it the hosting rights of an ICC tournament ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2031.