Ex-Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) secretary and ex-Asian Cricket Council (ACC) CEO Syed Ashraful Haque has targeted ICC chairman Jay Shah and launched a scathing attack on cricket administration in Asia, claiming it has been hijacked by politicians.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the BCB are at odds over the former's decision not to allow Mustafizur Rahman to participate in the IPL 2026 (Indian Premier League).

The decision was made amid huge protests in India over the targeted death of Hindus in the neighboring country. Bangladesh has also replied by seeking that the ICC move the venue of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches outside of India.

Syed Ashraful Haque, who shared his thoughts on the situation, sharply criticized ICC Chairman Jay Shah, as well as other individuals in prominent positions in cricket administration in India and Bangladesh.

“The whole cricket ecosystem in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan—everywhere—has been hijacked by politicians. Just think about it. 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,” Haque told the Times of India.

Haque went on to say that because the World Cup is not a domestic event, it cannot be boycotted in the same way that the IPL might.

“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,” he added.

Furthermore, Haque chastised board members for putting the World Cup in jeopardy and exploiting religious feelings. He stated, "Would BCCI have taken the same decision if the Bangladeshi player was a Hindu like Soumya Sarkar or Litton Das?"

“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.

He also remarked that moving the matches to Sri Lanka could provide an acceptable solution to all sides. He also recognized that Bangladesh is willing to face financial losses if it opts to boycott the competition, arguing that national pride trumps monetary concerns.

Haque also remembered the traditionally amicable connections between India and Bangladesh, emphasizing India's contribution in assisting Bangladesh in gaining Test status.

“If they can move it to Sri Lanka, it’s a win-win situation for everybody. If they can’t, I doubt whether Bangladesh will come to India to play this. Maybe it will cost us financially. But national pride is much bigger than financial losses. You cannot compare India–Pakistan relations with India–Bangladesh relations. It’s very different. India and Bangladesh are like brothers. It goes back a long way. India came to play Test matches in Bangladesh. The BCCI played a big role in helping us get Test status,” he said.

Bangladesh is to play four of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India, three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. 

(Times of India inputs)