Bangladesh cricket has turned into a spectacle for all the wrong reasons. Instead of making headlines through performances on the field, it continues to dominate news cycles due to chaos, controversy, and persistent administrative failures. What was once a source of national pride now resembles a never-ending crisis, where off-field turmoil routinely overshadows the game itself.
The promise was genuine. Bangladesh’s historic win over Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup and the attainment of Test status in 2000 were expected to usher in an era of sustained progress. More than two decades later, that promise remains largely unfulfilled. Sporadic flashes of talent have been undermined by instability, weak governance, and a glaring lack of accountability, stalling meaningful growth.
The situation has worsened in 2026. With the T20 World Cup approaching, preparation should have been the sole focus. Instead, controversy took centre stage, beginning with Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL exclusion and spiralling into a wider standoff involving the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), players, and international stakeholders. Uncertainty over Bangladesh’s participation in the India-hosted World Cup, and the BCB’s confrontational stance, have raised serious concerns within the ICC.
Matters deteriorated further with reckless public comments from senior BCB officials, including an inflammatory accusation branding former captain Tamim Iqbal an “Indian agent.” The remarks triggered widespread outrage and exposed a deeply toxic environment, where dissent is silenced and professionalism is conspicuously absent. Subsequent comments belittling players only intensified the backlash, pushing cricketers to threaten a boycott of the Bangladesh Premier League.
Although the BCB eventually removed the official at the centre of the storm, the damage was already done. Relationships between the board and players appear fractured, marked by disrespect, mistrust, and public mudslinging. Senior cricket observers have warned that such behaviour is not only demeaning but dangerous for the future of the sport in the country.
Bangladesh cricket has faced crises before, notably the players’ strike in 2019, but even then there were channels of dialogue and leadership to restore order. Today, that stabilising presence appears absent. With political uncertainty compounding the problem, cricket — once a unifying force — has become another casualty of mismanagement.
What Bangladesh cricket desperately needs is stability, accountability, and respect for its players. Criticism and reform are necessary, but they must occur behind closed doors, not through damaging public spectacles. Decades of effort by pioneers and icons built this team brick by brick. It is now the responsibility of the BCB to protect that legacy and guide Bangladesh cricket toward professionalism and recovery, rather than deeper turmoil.
