World Cup row: ‘India holding ICC hostage’

Pakistan lashes out saying cricket no longer a gentleman’s game

Khawaja Asif

Jay Shah

The International Cricket Council (ICC), once an acclaimed organisation in England, has come in for a thundering lambasting from the Pakistan government after the sport’s global body first removed Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup and lashed out at Pakistan for refusing to play their match against India in the tournament which is scheduled to start on Saturday in Sri Lanka and India.

The ICC, which is now headed by Jay Shah a businessman who is the son of Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, voted to leave out Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026 after it asked that its matches be shifted from India to Sri Lanka over security concerns.

The result infuriated Pakistan which was the only ICC full member to vote against Bangladesh’s removal. 

Pakistan’s cricketers were snubbed and cold shouldered by the Indian team at last year’s Asia Cup in Colombo by refusing to shake hands which is customary after a match.

At this year’s T20 World Cup, Pakistan decided to stay in the fold playing all their matches in Colombo while at the same time refusing to play their match against India, a country which stands accused by critics of taking custody of the ICC.

“A new international organisation of cricket is needed to keep the spirit of the gentleman’s game alive. ICC has become hostage to Indian political interests in South Asia”, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif wrote on social media platform X.

For the record a T20 World Cup contest between India and Pakistan generates huge revenues through television advertising which goes into the coffers of the ICC and the scheduled T20 World Cup match between the two countries on February 15 in Colombo has been valued at 500 million US dollars.

At the last T20 World Cup match between the two countries in 2024, the revenue earned is said to have been 300 million US dollars.

It is also estimated that India as the powerhouse and largest merchadiser of international cricket helps the ICC financially by pumping in more than half of its (ICC) revenue. 

India is able to call the shots in the administration of international cricket and the affairs of the ICC as it rakes in the money mostly from the Indian Premier League (IPL) run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). 

According to international media reports, between 2024 and 2027 the IPL could generate 1.15 billion US dollars, a large amount of it for the ICC.

The ICC which is now apparently under Indian influence had earlier in a statement called on Pakistan not to be ‘selective’ in refusing to play any of their matches as it was “not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan.”