Interim govt’s decision to skip World Cup a blunder: Shakib Al Hasan

Star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has described the interim government's decision to withdraw Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup in India as a "blunder" and a "big loss" for the country's cricket .

Speaking at the EU T20 Belgium jersey launch event in Mumbai on Wednesday, April 29, Shakib said, "I think that's a big loss. A great miss as far as Bangladesh cricket is concerned because we as a country love watching our players play World Cups" .

"We are a cricket-loving country. A country like Bangladesh not participating in the World Cup was a big miss. I think it's a blunder from the government side that they took the decision not to participate in that World Cup," he added .

Bangladesh had refused to travel to India for the February-March tournament citing security concerns, a decision stemming from the political tension between the two countries and the BCCI's move to remove pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL . The BCB requested the ICC to shift Bangladesh's matches to Sri Lanka, but the global body rejected the proposal and eventually replaced Bangladesh with Scotland . It marked the first time since 1999 that Bangladesh missed a World Cup.

The then-interim government's sports adviser, Asif Nazrul, had initially stated that the BCB acted on government orders but later claimed the board made an independent decision .

On the strained relations between the BCB and BCCI, Shakib expressed hope that a bilateral series scheduled for August or September this year could help "break the ice" .

Regarding the current New Zealand series, Shakib praised the team's collective performance, noting that Bangladesh has shifted from individual brilliance to a more team-oriented approach.

On Tamim Iqbal's election as BCB president, Shakib said, "He will plan long-term. Hopefully, Bangladesh cricket will benefit from him."