NEW DELHI: In a stunning confession, Bangladesh's sports advisor Asif Nazrul admitted that the national cricket team is on the verge of being excluded from the T20 World Cup after he refused to send the side to India for the tournament.

The admission came after the ICC rejected Bangladesh's demand to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka.

Making a surprise appearance at a Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) match on Friday, Nazrul spoke candidly about how the entire episode unfolded. He stressed the deep love Bangladeshis have for cricket, a sentiment he underlined during a live interview at a packed stadium.

"Bangladeshi people, they love cricket, and the huge presence of the spectators is a testament to this," Nazrul said during the interview. "And this was actually much needed because, you know, quite recently Bangladesh has been on the verge of being excluded from the T20 World Cup."

Nazrul asserted that Bangladesh's players have earned the right to compete in the T20 World Cup through qualification, but are now facing the prospect of being unfairly shut out of the tournament.

"They have the right to play there, but they are being excluded," he said. "So in such a special time, the huge presence of spectators will definitely encourage Bangladesh cricket and cricketers."

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"We've got, I think, a huge presence of advisors," Nazrul said. "You can hear the sound and how popular cricket is in Bangladesh. Actually, half of the advisers who are present in Dhaka City tonight have turned up today, and it carries a special message."

Bangladesh had been served an ultimatum by the world body on Wednesday to either agree to travel to India or risk being replaced as there was no credible threat to the safety of their players, officials or fans there.

The country was given time till Thursday to make its decision. Scotland is next in line based on team rankings for the tournament starting February 7.