The decision to boycott the tournament has been taken due to security concerns, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul told reporters on Thursday after meeting with national team players at a five-star hotel in Dhaka.
Speaking after the meeting, Asif said that the decision not to travel to India for the World Cup is a government directive.
“There are security concerns regarding the players, which they were not meant to be aware of in detail. During the meeting, the players were informed about the reasons why Bangladesh will not play in India,” he said.
The sports adviser expressed hope that Bangladesh would receive fair treatment from the ICC and that, taking players’ security concerns into account, the team could be allowed to play the World Cup in Sri Lanka instead.
“Playing in the World Cup is Bangladesh’s right. We are waiting with that optimism,” he added.
Speaking about the meeting with the cricketers, he said, “The discussion with the players was a private matter. I will not disclose what they said to the media. If they want, they can speak for themselves. The purpose of our meeting was to explain to them why the government made this decision. I believe they have understood. I do not have the right to reveal what they said during the meeting.”
![Asif Nazrul [L]](https://cricfrenzy.com/public/storage/images/1-2026/cf_6jqcFEXp.jpg "Asif Nazrul [L]")