Bangladesh cricket in turmoil: What does this mean for T20 World Cup?
The draw was held at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo ahead of the 2026 ICC Under-19 World Cup match, proceedings were delayed due to rain. Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat first. With Azizul Hakim sidelined by illness, vice-captain Abrar represented Bangladesh in the toss alongside Mhatre, where the moment quickly attracted attention before the game even started.“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken cognizance of the inadvertent and unjustified action that took place in the draw before the opening match of the 2026 Under-19 World Cup, Zimbabwe and Namibia, between Bangladesh and India. Due to illness, regular captain Azizul Hakim was unable to participate in the draw for the team represented by Avice-captain and Zawad“The BCB wishes to clarify that the absence of a handshake with the opposition captain was completely unintentional and resulted from a momentary lapse in concentration. There was no intention to show discourtesy or indifference to the opposition.”“The Board of Directors took the matter with due seriousness as upholding the spirit of cricket and respect for opponents are essential to representing Bangladesh at any level and immediately informed the team management.“The players were also reminded of their responsibility to maintain the highest standards of sportsmanship, camaraderie and mutual respect in all interactions with opposing teams. The Bangladesh Cricket Board remains fully committed to the values of cricket on and off the field,” BCB said in a statement.Such incidents are not unprecedented. Similar situations occurred during the senior men’s T20 Asia Cup last year when the captains of India and Pakistan did not shake hands at the toss in all three matches. The latest episode comes amid wider tensions in cricketing ties between Bangladesh and India.BCB is also trying to avoid playing its Men’s T20 World Cup matches in India, especially after BCCI asked three-time IPL winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to drop Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for the 2026 season.