Mohsin Naqvi Nasser Hussain Jay Shah. Image Credits: X
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 has been hit by controversy even before the knockout stage begins. Political tensions and board disputes have once again spilled into cricket.
Bangladesh have already been removed from the tournament. Pakistan have refused to play India.
Amid this, former England captain Nasser Hussain has now weighed in, offering support to Pakistan and Bangladesh while calling for politics to stay away from the game.
England legend backs Pakistan and Bangladesh for standing firm vs India
Speaking on the Sky Cricket Podcast, former England cricketer Nasser Hussain said he respected Bangladesh and Pakistan for sticking to their decisions.
“I quite like Bangladesh sticking to their guns. They stood up for their player, the Fiz. And I quite like Pakistan. I know it's political. I quite like Pakistan sticking up for Bangladesh. And at some stage, someone's got to say enough with this politics. Can we just get back to playing cricket?” Hussain said.
Bangladesh refused to travel to India, citing security concerns. This decision came after Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the IPL despite being picked by KKR.
The ICC later replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, a move that angered both Dhaka and Islamabad. Hussain said Bangladesh stood up for their player. He added that Pakistan backing Bangladesh was also understandable.
According to him, someone had to say enough at some point. He admitted the issue was political but stressed that cricket should not suffer repeatedly because of it.
“So maybe it is a real crunch point because the only way Pakistan can hurt the ICC or even India is with the money and the finances of that India-Pakistan game. That's the only way," he added.
Pakistan later announced it would not play India in the group match scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. While talks are ongoing, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has confirmed the boycott will continue.
Nasser Hussain said the only real leverage Pakistan has is financial, especially with an India-Pakistan match bringing massive revenue.
Politics is hurting cricket, and ICC consistency questioned
Nasser Hussain also described the current state of cricket as “depressing”. He said politics has become the norm rather than the exception and pointed to recent incidents like players refusing to shake hands and declining trophies.
“Fairly depressing to be honest. Sport, cricket, and politics have always been intertwined. There's always been a link between sport and politics but it just seems recently that link is more and more. It used to be the exception, it's now the norm and it's not just politics and politicians, it's players as well."
According to him, cricket once helped bring nations together. Now it seems to be pushing them apart. The former England captain also spoke about the ICC’s role.
"Players I've seen in the last couple of years, as I say, it's fairly depressing, not shaking hands, not lifting the trophy. Cricket used to unite nations and countries that were finding difficulties, and now it's pushing people apart."
Hussain questions ICC's double standards
He said he had some sympathy for the governing body, as changing schedules at the last moment is difficult. However, Hussain raised an important question. Would the ICC have reacted the same way if India had refused to travel?
“I have some sympathy with the ICC there, that the late decision to say right, we're not travelling. So I guess the real comparison would be, and this is the real question that only the ICC can answer, if it had been India and in the future if India a month before a tournament say our government does not want us to go and play in that country in a world cup, would the ICC have been so firm and say you know the rules, bad luck, we're knocking you out."
Nasseer Hussain said consistency is what teams ask for. All countries should be treated equally. He warned that repeatedly sidelining teams like Bangladesh or Pakistan would weaken their cricket. That, in turn, would reduce competition and hurt the sport globally.
“You have to treat Bangladesh the same as you treat Pakistan and the same as you treat India. Now India fans will say cry more, we have the money, it's all down, but with power comes responsibility. If you are constantly knocking Bangladesh or Pakistan, their cricket diminishes, and hence the great games we've seen in the past between India and Pakistan or India and Bangladesh become one-sided, as they have."
He ended by reminding fans that power in cricket comes with responsibility. If politics continues to dominate decisions, the game will suffer long-term damage.
It is worth noting that Nasser Hussain has been one of the prominent names on ICC's commentary panel roster for over a decade. With his latest tirade, he has put himself in a precarious position before the T20 World Cup 2026 commences.
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