Bulawayo: India captain Ayush Madre and Bangladesh vice-captain Jawad Abrar skipped the customary handshake after the toss for the ICC Men’s 19 World Cup Group B match at Queen’s Sports Club on Saturday.
Abrar stood in for Bangladesh skipper MD Azizul Hakim Tamim, who was unavailable due to ill health, and Madre made the right call after flipping the coin. He opted to field first, citing wet conditions following the rain.
Madre admitted that he wanted to take the field in the first place for the same reason, but was unfazed by the result.
Notably, Madre and Abrar have not been in touch with each other due to rising tensions between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
The stance emerged when Indian Premier League (IPL) owner Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced that they would drop veteran Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for the upcoming edition of the tournament, citing BCCI directives.
Rahman’s release drew a strong reaction from the BCB, which last week decided that its national men’s team would not travel to India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 due to security concerns.
The board has also sought clarification on Rahman’s sudden exit from the IPL, Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Nasrul said in a post shared on his Facebook page on Sunday.
Later that week, Bangladesh’s government also announced a ban on coverage of the money-rich league in the country.
The BCB later formally wrote a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), highlighting concerns over the safety and security of Bangladeshi players in India, and is firm in its stance of not sending its national men’s team to India for the mega event starting on February 7.
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