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]Bangladesh Cricket in Crisis as BCB Issues Show-Cause Notice, Players Threaten Boycott
by K D Mishra
Bangladesh cricket has slipped into fresh trouble after a major dispute at board level, with players now threatening to stop all cricket activities. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to its director and finance committee chairman M Nazmul Islam over what it called “objectionable public comments” against national cricketers.
This step came just hours before scheduled Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches. Meanwhile, the players’ body, the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB), stood firm on its demand for Nazmul’s resignation, warning of a nationwide boycott if he stays on.
According to ESPNcricinfo, all four Dhaka First Division Cricket League matches scheduled for Thursday morning did not start. Players from Chattogram Royals and Noakhali Express also refused to take the field for the first BPL match of the day. With the toss due at 12:30 pm local time, CWAB leaders were set to hold a press conference to officially place their demands, with Nazmul’s resignation at the top.
In its statement,
the BCB said it has begun formal disciplinary action against the board member. A show-cause letter has been sent, and Nazmul has been asked to reply in writing within 48 hours. The board added that the issue will be handled through proper process and action will follow based on the outcome.
Behind the scenes, some BCB directors reportedly contacted CWAB president Mohammad Mithun late Wednesday night and offered to remove Nazmul from his role as finance committee chairman. Mithun made it clear this would not be enough, as players want him to step down completely
🚨🚨 Bangladesh Cricket collapsing like anything
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) January 15, 2026
- Today there are 2 games scheduled of Bangladesh Premier League & one of them had to start at 1 PM but not started as players has boycotted it.
- They want sacking of BCB director M Nazmul Islam who called Tamim Iqbal agent of… pic.twitter.com/q89sHy6N54
The dispute began after Nazmul’s sharp comments earlier in the day, where he said national cricketers should be asked to return the “crores and crores of taka” spent on them and questioned their value to the board. Responding to this, Mithun said the remarks had deeply hurt the cricket community and were unacceptable. He warned that if Nazmul does not resign before the next match, players will announce a boycott of all cricket. Support for the protest has already come from team captains Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan and Mithun, along with Noakhali coach Khaled Mahmud.
The situation is made worse by Bangladesh’s tense stance on playing in India at the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Nazmul’s comments came while talking about the possible financial impact if Bangladesh skips the event, claiming the board would not suffer and players did not deserve compensation. Several players, however, are likely to lose sponsorship deals due to the India-Bangladesh situation, adding to the anger and unrest.
