Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has questioned the integrity of the International Cricket Council (ICC) after it replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in Group C of the T20 World Cup 2026.
Sethi has served as the PCB chief in three separate terms and knows the ins and outs of international cricket. He’s dealt with the ICC on multiple occasions and criticised the international body several times since leaving the PCB.
Recently, he backed the idea of Pakistan boycotting the T20 World Cup as an act of solidarity with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and in opposition to the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
BCCI accused of running ICC
It’s no secret that BCCI and India are the true powerholders in cricket. Sethi didn’t say that. He’s claimed that it’s the BCCI who are running the ICC and labelled the international body as the ‘Indian Cricket Council’.
After the ICC announced that Bangladesh will be replaced by Scotland following the BCB’s decision not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has claimed that Pakistan will only play the ICC event if the Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, grants them permission.
Sethi thinks that if Pakistan and other nations stand up to the ICC, perhaps India/BCCI will realise that they can’t just push anyone around.
“Bangladesh decided to boycott the World Cup; now it remains to be seen what the PCB decides. Mohsin Naqvi understands the game and has a good grasp of all aspects. Whatever decision he makes will be the right one. If other countries stand up after Pakistan, the ICC will realise that this is not the Indian Cricket Council but the International Cricket Council,” Sethi told Telecom Asia Sport.
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