The decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to exclude Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup has created deep fissures within the world cricket community. Opinions are sharply divided on the issue. While most Indian cricket experts have spoken in favour of the move, many influential voices outside India have spoken against the ICC’s ruling.
Given the fragile relationship that India shares with its neighbours, this situation is not new. Back in the 1980s, when tensions between India and Pakistan were extremely high and conflict seemed imminent, General Zia-ul-Haq attended a Test match in Jaipur to ease relations.
Three years after the Kargil conflict, the Indian team toured Pakistan. At that time, Atal Bihari Vajpayee (the then Indian prime minister) told the Indian players before leaving for Lahore that the result on the field mattered less than winning the goodwill of the people. But now, no attempt is being made to reconcile or reduce the impact of political discord on the game.
West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards was among those who criticised the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI). He said that India was once a great country for cricket, but now it does not seem to be so. He emphasised that the ICC should host the Cricket World Cup in a country that is acceptable to all nations.
Richards warned that if the ICC does not take timely and strong decisions to keep politics out of cricket, there is a serious risk that the game could be divided into two parts. He added that the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s demand is justified, as their team has security concerns in India.
Former South African captain Graeme Smith asked whether, under similar circumstances, would the ICC dare to exclude Australia or England if they were making the same request as Bangladesh? The former Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie also questioned why double standards are being applied in the cases of India and Bangladesh.
“When India did not want to play in Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, due to security problems, its request was granted and the ICC arranged a neutral venue in Dubai. But now when Bangladesh makes the same request, why is it denied?” Gillespie asked.
The hardliners in the Indian camp, driven by ego and an inflated opinion of their own power, should take care not to cross the boundaries of efficient sports management. There was a time when England was in the same position in world cricket as India is now. England had a professional setup where cricketers were paid to play, while everywhere else in the world, players had to hold down full-time jobs.
In the early 1930s, England used bodyline tactics to combat the Aussies, particularly Sir Donald Bradman. Later, England changed the rules several times to try to stop the West Indies from winning so easily. When everyone else started covering pitches, England refused because they had the best wet-pitch bowler in the world in Derek Underwood. Having uncovered pitches in England gave them an unfair advantage, which they enjoyed for decades.
So, there is no doubt that power was misused in some ways back then. But it eventually led to England’s downfall in world cricket’s administration. That is a lesson that the Indian side should keep in mind. Misuse of power always leads to a fall.
Very ironically, it was India, under the leadership of the then ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya, that had brought Bangladesh into the fold of Test cricket in the year 2000. There was a sense of bonhomie between the two countries at the time and Dalmiya overcame opposition from Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand to induct Bangladesh. Now, with Jay Shah as the chairman, the ICC has decided to exclude Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup.
But further irony is the fact that voices within Bangladesh are divided too. They have decided not to appeal against the ICC’s verdict to kick them out of the T20 World Cup. Amzad Hossain, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) media committee chairman, has backpedalled on previous reports that Bangladesh would appeal against the decision to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRS). But now, he says that it was never the intention. Clearly, something within the BCB has changed.
The former BCB general secretary and chief executive officer (CEO) of Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Syed Ashraful Haque, slammed his own board for showing unprofessionalism. Speaking to the Daily Star in Bangladesh, he said: “The situation has been poorly handled from the start. Sport and politics should never overlap, and we clearly failed to recognise the difference between a bilateral event and a World Cup.”
He further said: “Adopting a hardline position in sport was our first major error, there is no place for rigidity in cricket. The correct path is to follow procedure. Missing out on a World Cup would be a massive setback for players like Litton Das and Mustafizur Rehman. They have put in years of hard work for the chance to represent their country on the biggest stage. Denying them that opportunity is a huge loss for them as well as for the nation.”
In this respect, Haque is absolutely right. The biggest sufferers are the players and the fans. As things stand, it does not look like the matter will blow over soon. There is a strong likelihood that the repercussions of this whole episode will have an effect in future cricket interactions between India and Bangladesh.
Can world cricket afford to have its members in deep emotional conflict with each other? What is needed now is a mature and sensible approach to heal the fracture that has developed.
This post was last modified on January 27, 2026 5:18 pm