Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has expressed frustration over the controversies surrounding his team ahead of major tournaments, saying players are often forced to “act” unaffected despite being impacted.
Shanto, who is currently not part of Bangladesh’s T20I squad, spoke on Friday about the ongoing uncertainty around Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup scheduled in February-March in India and Sri Lanka.
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“We haven’t got a good result in any World Cup. We had a good opportunity last time [at the T20 World Cup in 2024], but we couldn’t do it. But you will notice that before every World Cup, there’s some incident that takes place,” Shanto said.
He added, “As a player who has played one or two of these tournaments, I can tell you that it affects us. But we ‘act’ as if nothing affects us since we are professional cricketers. Even you know that it affects us. It is not easy. It is better if these things didn’t happen. I think the players still try to keep all things aside to perform well.”
Shanto emphasized that the situation is largely beyond the players’ control.
“Wherever we play the World Cup ultimately, I would think that the players have to act like nothing is bothering them, and they can do well for the team,” he said.
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The controversy stems from India’s political and security concerns over Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.
The BCCI had instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur from the IPL 2026 squad, valued at INR 9.2 crore.
Although no explicit security reasons were cited, threats from religious and political leaders to KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan added tension.
In response, the Bangladesh government blocked IPL broadcasts in the country, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) informed the ICC that the team prefers to play its matches in Sri Lanka instead of India, citing safety concerns.
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Shanto previously captained Bangladesh during the last T20 World Cup and was also part of the 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in India.
With the T20 World Cup just under a month away, a final decision on Bangladesh’s participation has yet to be confirmed.
