'Cricket has been hijacked by politicians': Syed Ashraful on Bangladesh-India World Cup flashpoint

Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary and ex–Asian Cricket Council (ACC) CEO Syed Ashraful Haque has strongly criticised political interference in cricket, describing the sport as having been "hijacked by politicians" while commenting on Bangladesh’s request to relocate their T20 World Cup matches away from India.

Speaking to TimesofIndia.com from Kuala Lumpur, Ashraful said politics has overtaken cricket administration across the region.

"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,” he said.

"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.”

Ashraful also called out the leadership in Bangladesh over how they handled Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the Indian Premier League and the subsequent developments.

"We have the same thing here. The government is run by people who are not politicians, nor are they experienced in sports. Our sports advisor 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 said.

Questioning the consistency of the response, he added: "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.”

The veteran administrator blamed election-driven politics in India for the flashpoint.

"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.”

Ashraful, meanwhile, suggested shifting Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka as a solution.

"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.”

Asked about the potential financial implications if the ICC does not heed the BCB’s request and the Bangladesh government refuses to send the team, Ashraful said: "Maybe it will cost us financially. But national pride is much bigger than financial losses.”

Referring to previous crises, Ashraful cited the period following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, when he was serving as the ACC chief.

"You cannot compare India-Pakistan relations with India-Bangladesh. It’s very different. India and Bangladesh are like brothers. It’s very old. India came to play Test matches in Bangladesh. BCCI played a big role in helping us getting the Test status," he said.

"The 2008 was much more delicate than this, and we got out of it. We got out of it because we had good, sane people as administrators of all three bodies," he added.

Lamenting the current state of administration, Ashraful said: "Now we don’t have that. We have a sports advisor who has never held a cricket bat. He is a teacher and a revolutionary. What does he care about cricket? He is after publicity and he is there only for the next two months.”

Earlier this week, Mustafizur Rahman was released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who had bought him for a Bangladesh-record INR 9.2 crore, following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The move triggered widespread criticism in Bangladesh. The interim government suspended the broadcast of the IPL in the country, while the BCB decided not to send the national team to the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, citing concerns over the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India. The tournament is set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

The BCB has since written to the International Cricket Council, detailing its security concerns and requesting the relocation of Bangladesh’s matches outside India. Bangladesh are currently scheduled to play all their group-stage matches in India, including their first three fixtures at KKR’s home venue, Eden Gardens.

The ICC had earlier asked the BCB to outline its concerns in detail in response to an initial letter sent on Sunday. The board is now awaiting the ICC’s response, which could determine whether Bangladesh participate in the World Cup.