Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup campaign has been plunged into fresh controversy after Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said the International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally flagged the inclusion of star pacer Mustafizur Rahman in the Bangladesh squad as a potential security risk.

According to Asif Nazrul, the ICC letter warned that the overall security threat could increase if Mustafizur is part of the squad, if Bangladeshi supporters are seen wearing the national team jersey, and as India’s election period draws closer.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) House, Asif Nazrul said the government and cricket authorities are still awaiting a formal response from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after sending two letters on the issue.

“Now let's come to a different topic. Surely you are coming here to know the news of cricket. We have no development in the field of cricket. We have sent two letters. After sending the letter, we are waiting for the reply from the ICC,” he said.

However, the Sports Adviser revealed that the ICC security team has already communicated its assessment in a separate letter, outlining three factors that would significantly increase security risks for the Bangladesh team in India.

According to Asif Nazrul, the letter stated that the security threat would rise if star pacer Mustafizur Rahman is included in the squad, if Bangladeshi supporters are seen wearing the national team jersey, and as India’s election period draws closer.

“This statement of the ICC security team has proven beyond doubt that there is no situation for the Bangladesh cricket team to play the T20 World Cup in India,” he said.

He strongly criticised what he termed unrealistic expectations, adding, “If the ICC expects us to make a cricket team without our best bowler, our supporters not being able to wear the Bangladesh jersey, and that we will postpone the Bangladesh elections to play cricket, there cannot be a more absurd, unrealistic, and unreasonable expectation than this.”

Asif Nazrul further blamed what he described as the prevailing communal situation in India and an “anti-Bangladesh atmosphere,” claiming that a continuous anti-Bangladesh campaign over the past 16 months has made it unsafe for the team to play there.

“We believe that the prevailing communal situation in India and the anti-Bangladesh atmosphere… have made it impossible for Bangladesh to play cricket in India,” he said, adding that he would make the ICC security letter available to the media.

The comments come as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) continues to wait for the ICC’s response to its request to shift Bangladesh’s matches in the 2026 T20 World Cup from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns.