Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has labeled the national team’s absence from the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup a "blunder" and a "massive setback" for the country. Speaking at a jersey launch event in Mumbai on 29 April 2026, he explicitly blamed the previous caretaker government for the decision to boycott the tournament, calling it a "big miss" for a cricket-loving nation like Bangladesh. Shakib attributed the withdrawal to a "blunder" by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, which took power in August 2024.

"I think it’s a blunder from the government side that they took the decision not to participate in that World Cup. I think that’s a big loss and a big miss as far as Bangladesh cricket is concerned. We, as a country, love watching our players play World Cup matches. We are a cricket-loving country. A country like Bangladesh not participating in the World Cup was such a big miss.”

He expressed that missing a global event is "extremely painful" for cricketers, particularly those for whom it might have been their first or final World Cup. Shakib emphasized that Bangladesh is a nation where people live for World Cup matches, making the team's absence a significant emotional loss for the fans.

Context for Bangladesh’s absence from 2026 T20 World Cup

Bangladesh officially withdrew from the 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, following diplomatic and security disputes. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had requested to move their matches from India to a neutral venue like Sri Lanka, citing safety concerns.The ICC refused to relocate the fixtures after security assessments determined the risk was manageable.

Also Read | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's hilarious response to whether his bat has AI chip or not?

Following Bangladesh's refusal to travel to India, they were replaced in the tournament by Scotland, the next best-ranked team that had originally failed to qualify. While Bangladesh missed out, the tournament concluded in March 2026 with India emerging as champions after defeating New Zealand in the final. Despite his criticisms of the administration, Shakib has recently expressed a strong desire to return to the national side to finish his international career "proudly in the red and green jersey".