The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is facing a major internal crisis after Bangladesh players threatened to boycott domestic cricket over controversial remarks by board director M Nazmul Islam. Notably, the board issued a show-cause notice to Nazmul for calling former captain Tamim Iqbal an “Indian agent.”
Nazmul made the remark after Tamim asked the BCB to put cricketing priorities first before taking a final call on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026. The BCB chose not to travel to India, citing security concerns, following Mustafizur Rahman’s release from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad.
Bangladesh Cricketers Demand Nazmul Islam’s Resignation, Threaten Boycott
Mohammad Mithun, president of the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh, warned that players could boycott the Bangladesh Premier League and all of the cricket. He made the announcement just hours after Nazmul Islam addressed the media at the BCB headquarters in Dhaka.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening, Mithun said that Nazmul’s comments had hurt the cricket community and were unacceptable. He demanded Nazmul’s resignation and warned that if it did not happen before the next day’s match, players would boycott all forms of cricket.
“The remark made by the BCB director [Najmul Islam] has hurt the cricket fraternity greatly and it’s not acceptable,” Mithun told reporters on Wednesday evening. “We demand his resignation. If he doesn’t resign before tomorrow’s match, we will announce a boycott of all cricket, starting from the BPL matches tomorrow (Thursday).”
BCB Issues Show-Cause Notice to Nazmul Islam
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has begun disciplinary action against Nazmul Islam. The board issued a show-cause notice on Wednesday, just hours before the day’s Bangladesh Premier League matches were scheduled to begin.
Notably, the BCB confirmed that formal proceedings are underway, giving Nazmul 48 hours to submit a written response, after which the board will decide its next steps through due process.
“The board has already initiated formal disciplinary proceedings against the board member concerned,” the BCB statement read.
“A show cause letter has been issued, and the individual has been instructed to submit a written response within 48 hours. The matter will be dealt with through due process and appropriate action will be taken based on the outcome of the proceedings.”
Bangladesh Cricket Boycott Deepens as Matches Fail to Start
According to ESPNcricinfo, the situation worsened on Thursday morning when four first-division matches in the Dhaka Cricket League did not start as scheduled.
Players from Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express, who were set to play in the first Bangladesh Premier League match of the day, continued to support the boycott and refused to take the field.
Late on Wednesday night, some BCB directors contacted Mohammad Mithun and offered to remove Nazmul Islam from his role as finance committee chairman. However, Mithun said the players would continue with the boycott.
The toss for the first BPL match on Thursday was scheduled for 12:30 pm local time. After the match start time passes, CWAB leaders are expected to hold a press conference to present their demands to the BCB, including Nazmul’s resignation.
Also read: Pakistan declares itself T20 World Cup 2026 co-host, hijacks India’s Bangladesh matches
