‘Techers lie less…’- Mohammad Salahuddin calls ex-sports advisor liar over T20 World Cup 2026 boycott stance

Bangladesh Cricket Team assistant coach, Mohammad Salahuddin, has criticized the former sports advisor, Asif Nazrul, for changing the stance on the participation of the side in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Salahuddin has addressed Nazrul as a liar for later insisting that the decision to boycott the event was taken by the board and its cricketers.

Nazrul initially maintained that the decision was made by the government. Just before leaving the office, he, however, stated that the call had been taken by the board and the players. He had a meeting with the Bangladesh players where he imposed his decisions rather than listening to their views.

“He told such blatant lies. 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. A person from the highest educational institution of my country saying such lies - we can't accept this. How can we accept this?” Salahuddin expressed, as per the recent reports.

Mohammad Salahuddin reacts to Asif Nazrul’s comments on T20 WC 2026 stance

Salahuddin revealed that the national players were devastated by missing the World Cup, as he described the moment as ‘killing the dream’ of the players. At the end, Scotland replaced the Asian side at the eleventh hour of the event.

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

“The fact that we were able to bring them back onto the field in this tournament is itself a big thing. I think this is the biggest success of my coaching life - that they came back onto the field and scored runs again. A person dreams for many years of playing in the World Cup. Money is a factor, but it's a small one.” He concluded.