Former England captain Nasser Hussain has criticised the International Cricket Council (ICC) over what he called the double standards in its handling of Pakistan and Bangladesh’s concerns ahead of the T20 World Cup in India.
Speaking about the controversy, he questioned how the ICC would have reacted if India had taken the same stance as Bangladesh.
“If Bangladesh can be pushed or threatened, I ask a simple question… if India had asked for a venue change, what would the ICC have done? Would they have pushed India out of the event as well?”
He stressed that the ICC must treat all member nations equally and not apply different rules based on influence or power. “The ICC has to deal with Bangladesh and Pakistan the same way it deals with India. Equality matters in international cricket.”
Hussain praised Bangladesh for standing firm on its position, saying the team showed unity and courage.
“Bangladesh stood their ground. They stood up for their players, and that deserves respect,” he said, and that Pakistan also did the right thing by supporting Bangladesh.
“At some point, someone has to stand up and say enough politics, let us play some cricket,” Hussain remarked.
The former England captain went on to criticise the growing political influence in the sport. He said India removed Mustafizur Rahman from the situation due to political pressure, calling it another example of politics entering cricket.
“Cricket is now full of politics. Sometimes you do not shake hands, sometimes you do not take trophies. This is not what the game is about,” Hussain said.
He warned that pressuring teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh could harm the future of the sport. “If you keep pushing Pakistan and Bangladesh, cricket will suffer. I am amazed at how Pakistan continues to perform when everything seems to be working against them.”
The comments come as Pakistan announces to boycott the clash against India at the T20 World Cup on Feb 15.