{"id":198088,"date":"2026-01-25T11:07:04","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T11:07:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/cricket-players-officials-slam-icc-for-bangladeshs-t20-world-cup-ouster-al-jazeera\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T11:07:04","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T11:07:04","slug":"cricket-players-officials-slam-icc-for-bangladeshs-t20-world-cup-ouster-al-jazeera","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/cricket-players-officials-slam-icc-for-bangladeshs-t20-world-cup-ouster-al-jazeera\/","title":{"rendered":"Cricket players, officials slam ICC for Bangladesh\u2019s T20 World Cup ouster – Al Jazeera"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ex-players and cricket administrators question the ICC\u2019s decision, saying it reeks of double standards and injustice.<\/em>
Share
Save
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been condemned for practising \u201cdouble standards\u201d and damaging the reputation of the game after it expelled<\/a> Bangladesh from the Men\u2019s T20 World Cup over their refusal to travel to India due to security concerns.
Bangladesh were kicked out of the upcoming tournament by the ICC on Saturday following a weeks-long impasse between cricket\u2019s governing body and the South Asian nation over the change of venues for its fixtures in the World Cup.
The move, which resulted in Scotland\u2019s inclusion in the tournament in place of Bangladesh, was criticised by former cricketers, experts and cricketers\u2019 associations, terming it a \u201csad moment for the game\u201d.
\u201cThe withdrawal of Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup, and resulting absence of a valued cricketing nation from cricket\u2019s pinnacle international T20 event, is a sad moment for our sport, the Bangladesh players and fans, and one that requires deep reflection,\u201d World Cricketers\u2019 Association (WCA) chief executive Tom Moffat said in a statement.
\u201cRather than allowing division or exclusion to take hold, we call on the game\u2019s leaders to work with all stakeholders, including governing bodies, leagues and players, to unite the sport, not divide it.\u201d
Moffat said the WCA had become increasingly concerned by agreements not being honoured in the sport and by a lack of meaningful consultation with players and their representatives.
\u201cIt also highlights significant issues with the game\u2019s existing operating model at [the] global level,\u201d he added.
\u201cThese issues, if continued to be left unaddressed, will weaken trust, unity, and ultimately the health and future of the game we love.\u201d
The ICC rejected Bangladesh\u2019s request to move their matches to tournament cohosts Sri Lanka, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the tournament, while Bangladesh remained firm on their stance on not playing in India, citing safety and security concerns for its players.
However, former players questioned the ICC\u2019s impartiality as it recently relocated India\u2019s fixtures from Pakistan to a neutral venue for the same reason.
India refused to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in March based on the government\u2019s decision. It prompted the ICC to broker an agreement between the two countries, allowing them to play at a neutral venue when their neighbour hosts a global tournament.
All of India\u2019s Champions Trophy matches, including the final, were hosted in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Outspoken former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi questioned the ICC\u2019s decision and said it left him \u201cdeeply disappointed\u201d.
\u201cBangladesh\u2019s players and millions of its fans deserve respect \u2013 not mixed standards,\u201d he wrote on X.
\u201cThe ICC should build bridges, not burn them.\u201d<\/p>\n

While India and Bangladesh do not share the same hostile relationship, their ties have been affected by recent political tensions.
Another former Pakistan captain, Mohammad Yousuf, said Bangladesh\u2019s cricket fans were being \u201cdeprived of cricket\u201d.
\u201cVery sad to see a cricket-loving nation like Bangladesh being deprived of cricket due to security concerns not being addressed,\u201d he said.
Yousuf, who also worked as Pakistan\u2019s batting coach, urged the ICC to show fairness in its practices.
\u201cWhen similar concerns were raised earlier, a neutral venue was approved,\u201d he said.
\u201cStandards cannot change from country to country. ICC must act as the International Cricket Council, not appear to serve the interests of any single board. Fairness and consistency are the foundation of global cricket.\u201d
While Pakistan are set to play all their T20 World Cup fixtures in Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi said their participation was still not confirmed.
\u201cThe prime minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I\u2019ll be able to give you our final decision,\u201d Naqvi, who is also the country\u2019s interior minister, said when asked to comment on the ICC\u2019s decision.
\u201cOur stance [on World Cup participation] will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the [Pakistan] government\u2019s decision. We obey them, not the ICC.\u201d
Naqvi said the ICC did an injustice to Bangladesh.
\u201cYou can\u2019t have double standards. You can\u2019t say for one country [India] they can do whatever they want and for the others to have to do the complete opposite,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019ve taken this stand and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them. They should play in the World Cup; they are a major stakeholder in cricket.\u201d
Naqvi said if the government blocked Pakistan from playing in the World Cup, \u201cthen maybe the ICC will bring in a 22nd team [after Scotland]. It\u2019s up to the government\u201d.<\/p>\n

Follow Al Jazeera English:<\/p>\n

source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ex-players and cricket administrators question the ICC\u2019s decision, saying it reeks of double standards and injustice.ShareSaveThe International Cricket Council (ICC) has been condemned for practising \u201cdouble standards\u201d and damaging the reputation of the game after it expelled Bangladesh from the Men\u2019s T20 World Cup over their refusal to travel to India due to security concerns.Bangladesh […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":198089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-198088","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198088"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198088\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/198089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}