Former England captain Nasser Hussain has praised the unity shown by Pakistan and Bangladesh in addressing politically sensitive cricket results, while questioning the International Cricket Council’s consistency in handling such matters.
During a recent interview at the International Sports Forum, Hussain questioned the governing body’s consistency in dealing with politically influenced decisions by member boards, especially in the context of World Cup participation and enforcement of competition regulations.
He argued that the game’s global governing body appears to apply its rules inconsistently, with a bias in favor of India in some high-profile situations.
This comparison is a real question that only the ICC can answer: If this was India, in the future, a month before a tournament, and our government said it didn’t want India to play in the World Cup, would the ICC have been so adamant and said, “You know the rules. Bad luck. We’re knocking you out.” Nasser said.
The former England player further emphasized that the discussion is not about targeting any country and is about the ICC applying its rules uniformly across all member boards, regardless of financial influence or fan power.
“The only question all sides are asking is: stability. You have to treat Bangladesh the way you treat Pakistan, the same way you treat India. Now Indian fans will say, ‘Cry more. We have money. We have everything’. But with power comes responsibility,” he said.
He highlighted how the constant criticism and marginalization of teams like Pakistan and Bangladesh is affecting the competitive balance of international cricket.
“If you keep knocking Bangladesh or Pakistan, their cricket goes down, so those great games we’ve seen in the past between India and Pakistan or India-Bangladesh become as one-sided as they did. Are you saying it’s concentrated in that part of the world?” He said.
The 57-year-old also pointed to the growing influence of politics in franchise cricket, questioning selection trends involving Pakistani and Bangladeshi players, while praising the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for taking a more balanced stance in The Hundred.
“I would also argue, politics obviously permeates through franchise cricket. Do Indian owners pick Pakistani players? Now, will they pick Bangladeshi players in their franchise leagues? And a hundred – I think the ECB got it right – said they will monitor Pakistani players playing,” Nasser revealed.
He also warned that continued political interference would have long-term consequences for the game, while praising Bangladesh for standing by their player and Pakistan for showing solidarity, urging cricket’s power brokers to prioritize the game.
“The game is shooting itself in the foot, isn’t it? I love Bangladesh sticking to their guns—they stood up for their player, The Fizz—and I love Pakistan. I know it’s politics, like Pakistan sticking for Bangladesh. At some point, someone says enough of this politics. Can we play cricket again?” He finished.
comments