Former India opener Kris Srikkanth has slammed ex-England skipper Nasser Hussain for his remarks on the recent ICC-PCB row.

Earlier last week, Hussain questioned the ICC and BCCI amid the T20 World Cup 2026 controversy, with Bangladesh refusing to send its team to India and Pakistan declining to play the arch-rivals.

Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Hussain also advocated equal treatment for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

“If India, a month before a tournament, said, ‘Our government does not want us to play in a country for a World Cup,’ would the ICC have been so firm and said, ‘You know the rules, bad luck, we’re knocking you out?’” Hussain said.

“The only thing all sides ask for is consistency. Bangladesh, Pakistan and India must be treated the same. Yes, India fans may say, ‘Cry more, we have the money!’ But with power comes responsibility,” he added.

The comments did not sit well with Srikkanth, who pointed out England’s refusal to play Zimbabwe under Nasser Hussain’s captaincy during the 2003 World Cup.

“He (Hussain) was the captain in the 2003 World Cup when England refused to go to Zimbabwe and Kenya. Why does he want to talk now? At the last moment, even Australia agreed," Srikkanth said while speaking on his YouTube channel.

“England were kicked out and that is how Kenya came to the quarterfinals. You have one rule, we have one rule. At that time, England was ruling. That time they were shouting.

“It isn’t fair. If England or any other team does it, it is okay. No one wants to do arm-twisting. At the end of the day, ICC’s big revenue is from Indian fans across the globe, so India has a little bit of an edge," he added.

On Monday (February 9), the Pakistan government made a dramatic U-turn, directing its men’s cricket team to play the scheduled T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match versus India on February 15 in Colombo.

The change in stance came after a meeting in Lahore, involving officials from the PCB, BCB and ICC.

“I am happy that Pakistan has agreed to play and the match is happening. It’s very important. It’s very crucial for world cricket. Don’t go anywhere else, just from the subcontinent population, you will get so much viewership," Srikkanth stated.

“Pakistan would be the biggest loser if they didn’t play. Even viewers and fans, how many of them would have gotten tickets? And even the hosting nation. At the end of the day, everyone would ignore Pakistan," he remarked.