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Sport Nation
Player boycott forces Bangladesh to sack official
AP • January 16th, 2026 8:34 am
Bangladesh | Photo: AP
A player boycott which postponed matches in the Bangladesh Premier League has prompted the Bangladesh Cricket Board to force out an official over his critical remarks about players.
The board removed Nazmul Islam as chairman of the finance committee on Friday (NZ time) to meet player demands that he resign.
Two scheduled matches in the Bangladesh Premier League and four in the Dhaka Cricket League on Thursday were not played after the cricketers, many of them Bangladesh internationals, did not turn up at the grounds.
Neither the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh, the players' body, nor the BCB said the boycott was over, putting in doubt whether Friday's games in both domestic leagues will go ahead.
Nazmul said on Wednesday that he believed national cricketers should return the "crores and crores of taka" that the BCB spends on them if Bangladesh withdraw from the men's T20 World Cup in India next month.
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That was a response to the BCB decision not to play World Cup matches in India after leading fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.
The BCB want their World Cup games moved to co-host Sri Lanka.
The players immediately threatened a domestic boycott if Nazmul did not resign and the BCB distanced themselves from his comments.
A BCB statement said: "The decision...is aimed at ensuring the continued smooth and effective functioning of the board's affairs. Until further notice, the BCB president will assume the role of acting chairman of the finance committee.
"The BCB reiterates that the interests of the cricketers remain its highest priority. The board remains fully committed to upholding the honour and dignity of all players under its jurisdiction."
Bangladesh are scheduled to play three World Cup group games in Kolkata, including their opener against the West Indies on Feb. 7. One game is scheduled to be hosted in Mumbai.
