Shanto Slams Distractions Amid Bangladesh T20 World Cup Chaos

Najmul Hossain Shanto has ripped the mask off Bangladesh cricket’s calm exterior, admitting players are forced to pretend everything is normal even as yet another T20 World Cup build-up descends into chaos around them.

The Bangladesh Test captain, not part of the current T20I set-up, spoke with rare honesty about how off-field politics and controversy have become an almost guaranteed pre-World Cup sideshow for his team. He recalled how the 2024 campaign slipped away despite a strong opportunity, and how, once again, talk is about boardrooms and security briefings rather than batting orders and death bowling.

World Cup dreams, off-field nightmares

This time the storm centres around Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka, with uncertainty over whether their games in India will even go ahead. For the players, it’s a familiar script: mounting speculation, heated public debate, and very little they can actually control.

Shanto laid bare the emotional toll, pointing out that cricketers are expected to be robotic professionals, unaffected by headlines, political friction or administrative stand-offs, even when their preparation, venues and safety are being discussed in public.

"As a player… it affects us. But we act as if nothing affects us since we are professional cricketers. It is better if these things didn’t happen."

For Indian fans, used to seeing Bangladesh lift their game against the Men in Blue, this tension adds another layer to a rivalry already rich with drama. Whatever the final call on venues, Shanto’s words are a reminder that behind every World Cup fixture list are players quietly battling far more than just swing and spin.