The decision has sparked widespread debate and drawn sharp criticism from former BCB secretary Syed Ashraful Haque, who has strongly criticised cricket administration across Asia, with particular focus on BCCI secretary Jay Shah.
Haque alleged that the cricketing ecosystem in the region has been overtaken by political interests, claiming that such a situation would never have arisen during the tenures of respected administrators like Jagmohan Dalmia, IS Bindra, Madhavrao Scindia, NKP Salve, or even N Srinivasan. According to him, past administrators had a deep understanding of the game and its impact on players—something he believes is missing in the current leadership.
“The entire cricket ecosystem in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan has been hijacked by politicians. Would something like this have ever happened under Jagmohan Dalmia, IS Bindra, Madhavrao Scindia, NKP Salve or N Srinivasan? Never. They were mature administrators who understood the game and its consequences,” Haque told The Times of India.
The former BCB official also criticised Bangladesh’s decision to consider skipping the T20 World Cup in India, calling it an impulsive move. He stressed that boycotting a global event like the World Cup should not even be an option.
“This is not the IPL, which is a domestic tournament. This is an international World Cup. You cannot make such rash statements about not participating,” he said, adding that the game is now being run by individuals with little or no playing background.
Haque further suggested that the controversy surrounding Mustafizur Rahman may be politically driven. He claimed that the situation might have been handled differently had it involved other Bangladeshi players such as Liton Das or Soumya Sarkar, alleging that political and religious sentiments were being exploited.
“Had it been Liton Das or Soumya Sarkar, would the same decision have been taken? No. This is cheap politics. With elections coming up in West Bengal and Assam, political cards are being played, and a World Cup-level event is being put at risk,” Haque remarked.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to begin on February 7, with Bangladesh originally slated to play four matches—three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. As of now, the ICC has not issued any official response to BCB’s concerns, and there is no clarity on whether Bangladesh’s matches could be relocated to Sri Lanka.
