Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary Syed Ashraful Haque stated that politics has taken over the sport’s administration in Asia. Ashraful Haque said that people, including Jay Shah, with no playing background now control major cricket decisions, which has hurt the game’s governance.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided not to allow Mustafizur Rahman to take part in the Indian Premier League 2026. The move came after protests in India over the killing of Hindus in Bangladesh. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released the pacer, which worsened relations between the two boards.
Whole Cricket Ecosystem Has Been Hijacked by Politicians – Ex-BCB Official on Jay Shah
In response, Bangladesh requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move their T20 World Cup matches from India. Speaking to Times of India, Syed Ashraful Haque took a dig at Jay Shah and added that such controversies would not have happened with experienced cricket administrators.
“The whole cricket ecosystem in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan — everywhere — has been hijacked by politicians. Just think about it,” Haque told TimesofIndia.com.
“Would this ever have happened if people like Mr Jagmohan Dalmia, Mr IS Bindra, Mr Madhavrao Scindia, Mr NKP Salve or even Mr N Srinivasan were in charge? This would never have happened because they were mature people. They understood the game and they understood the implications,” he added.
Jay Shah Has Never Even Held a Cricket Bat in a Competitive Match – Ex-BCB Official
Syed Ashraful Haque said that a World Cup cannot be treated like a domestic league such as the IPL. Haque stated that cricket leaders, including Jay Shah, without playing experience, are making important calls.
“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,” Haque stated.
“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,” he added.
Had It Been Litton Das or Soumya Sarkar, Would They Have Done the Same Thing? – Ex-BCB Official
The former BCB official accused cricket board members of dragging the World Cup into controversy by mixing politics and religion with sport. He said that the situation would have been handled differently if a Hindu Bangladeshi player like Litton Das or Soumya Sarkar was involved.
“Instead of Mustafizur, had it been Litton Das or Soumya Sarkar, would they have done the same thing? They wouldn’t.”
“It is all cheap religious sentiment that politicians are playing. It’s what happens when immature politicians take over. You have elections in West Bengal and Assam, so you play this political card to get votes. And you put an international event of World Cup stature into difficulty,” said Haque.
The ICC T20 World Cup is set to begin in February, and Bangladesh are scheduled to play their group-stage matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. Notably, the ICC has not said it will move these games to another country.
At the same time, the BCB said that the ICC is open to listening. The board sent two official letters raising safety concerns about travelling to India and asked for the matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka.
