A former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official has taken a scathing dig at International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah amid the tussle between India and Bangladesh over the T20 World Cup 2026. Bangladesh have sought relocation of their matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns for their players amid soaring tensions between both the countries. At a time when the ICC is yet to tale a call on the matter, ex-BCB chief Syed Ashraful Haque had criticized Jay Shah over handling the issue, going on to claim that he was an administrator who has never held a cricket bat.
Bangladesh go after Jay Shah
Speaking to Times of India, Haque claimed that the ecosystem within cricket – in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan – was hijacked by politicians. He claimed that a situation such as Bangladesh seeking relocation of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka would have never happened if Jagmohan Dalmia, IS Bindra, Madhavrao Scindia, NKP Salve or N Srinivasan were at the helm of affairs at the ICC.
“Now it has been hijacked completely. You have people who have never held a bat. In your case, you have Jay Shah, who has never even held a cricket bat in a competitive match. Our sports adviser gives a statement that Bangladesh should not go to India. Think about it. This is a World Cup event. This is not the IPL. IPL is a domestic tournament. This is an international World Cup event. You cannot come out with rash statements like this,” Haque stated.
A senior source close to the BCB confirmed to PTI that the second letter was sent after discussions with sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul, with the ICC specifically seeking clarity on what the security risks were. While the exact contents of the letter remain confidential, it indicates that Bangladesh has now spelt out its concerns in detail. The ICC, for its part, has so far maintained public silence, even as it continues to ask for more information from Dhaka.
Earlier, reports had claimed that the ICC had rejected the BCB’s request for relocation of matches, and had issued an ultimatum that the team must travel to India or forfeit the points. However, Bangladesh categorically rejected the report and instead claimed that the ICC had ensured that they would work with the board, taking their demands into consideration.
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