Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal has insisted that the proposed white-ball series against India has not been abandoned, revealing that the BCB and BCCI remain in regular communication over finding a fresh window. Tamim also delivered a striking assessment of Bangladesh’s handling of the 2026 T20 World Cup stand-off, saying the team “should have definitely played” the tournament and that negotiations could have been handled far better.
India were scheduled to tour Bangladesh for three ODIs and three T20Is in August-September, but the series can no longer take place in that window. Amid strained political relations between the neighbouring countries, there have been questions over whether the tour could eventually be scrapped altogether. Tamim, however, dismissed suggestions that such a decision had already been taken.
“That it won’t happen hasn’t been decided yet,” Tamim told Not Out Noman. “Still, let me give a quick piece of information. Both boards are very sincere that this thing happens. Both BCCI and BCB, and we are looking at windows as well, which time what can be done. Roughly a date, around which we are also thinking whether it can be done at this time or not,” he said. “If I saw the intention was negative, then today I wouldn’t even have said this word to you, ‘Let’s see what happens, we’re hopeful.’ I wouldn’t have even said this word. Intentions are very positive.”
Tamim acknowledged that some aspects of the situation were outside the cricket board’s direct control, but maintained that discussions between the two boards were continuing. “There are certain things that are beyond our control. And I never want to cross that line as BCB president, okay? But intentions are good, we are continuously communicating. Dates are also being figured out, because Bangladesh is also busy, they are also busy,” Tamim said. “Bangladesh has three series in between. They also, India, BCCI stay very busy with their matches. But we are having a regular discussion regarding this.”
Tamim says Bangladesh ‘should have definitely played’ T20 World Cup
Tamim was considerably more critical while discussing Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the 2026 T20 World Cup. Bangladesh had sought to have their matches shifted out of India following the controversy surrounding Mustafizur Rahman’s release from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. The ICC rejected the relocation request, and Bangladesh were eventually replaced in the tournament by Scotland.
Tamim maintained that the Mustafizur episode should never have occurred, but said Bangladesh could have negotiated the subsequent dispute much more effectively. “I feel that we could have negotiated the thing much better. Look, Mustafizur’s issue was obviously something that the whole country was disappointed with. And I say today as well, I said that day too, it should never have happened. This was in no way right thing to do, this should never have been done,” he said. “But we are going to play a World Cup. Every single person in Bangladesh celebrated like anything when we first qualified for the World Cup. It may be that now every two years a T20 World Cup happens, or every four years it happens, but it is a World Cup Bangladesh is going to represent.”
Tamim said the previous negotiations reached an irreversible stage far too early. “I feel we probably could have dealt with it better. We went to a point of no return right from the beginning,” he said.
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Now part of the ICC set-up in his capacity as BCB president, Tamim suggested he had since learned details of the negotiations that were not publicly known. “There were a lot of things said and done during those negotiations, which, if I make public, you will be surprised,” Tamim said. “I won’t be able to do it because I come back to that fact, I need to maintain that respect. You will be surprised at what things were said, but let’s not go into that discussion.”
Tamim argued that sporting relationships should, wherever possible, be insulated from wider political disputes and reiterated that Bangladesh should have found a way to participate. “If you go to a point of no return on the very first day, then that won’t happen. And I feel in some cases, sports should remain as sports,” he said. “So whenever this topic comes up, I say the same thing again, that we should have definitely played the World Cup. We should have definitely done the negotiation in a better way. And that’s it, I cannot say many things even though I know them.”