“Never Held a Bat”: Former BCB President’s Sharp Attack on ICC Chairman Jay Shah
India-Bangladesh Tensions: The ongoing drama between India and Bangladesh over the 2026 T20 World Cup has escalated into a war of words. Former BCB president Syed Ashraful Haque launched a scathing attack on ICC chairman Jay Shah, calling him an administrator who has never held a bat.
In the midst of the ongoing struggle between India and Bangladesh regarding the 2026 T20 World Cup, Syed Ashraful Haque, former president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has written a scathing letter against the ICC head Jay Shah. He criticized him for his handling of the situation, referring to him as an administrator who has never held a bat in his hands. It is pertinent to mention here that the BCB has asked the ICC for the transfer of the match from India to Sri Lanka due to the security threat posed to the Bangladesh players, which is yet to be decided.
Syed Ashraful Haque, speaking to TOI, said that the cricket ecosystem has been hijacked by politicians from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. He claimed that if people like Jagmohan Dalmiya, IS Bindra, Madhavrao Scindia, NKP Salve, or N Srinivasan were in the ICC, the situation of shifting Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka would never have arisen.
He said that now it has been completely hijacked. Some people have never held a bat. You have Jay Shah, who has never even held a cricket bat in a competitive match. Our sports advisor makes statements saying that Bangladesh should not go to India. This is a World Cup event, not the IPL. This is an international World Cup event. You can't make such hasty statements.
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Meanwhile, a report quoted a senior source close to the BCB as saying that the second letter was sent after discussions with Sports Ministry advisor Asif Nazrul, in which the ICC specifically sought clarification regarding security risks. While the exact contents of the letter are confidential, it indicates that Bangladesh has now elaborated on its concerns. The ICC has so far remained publicly silent on this matter, while it is seeking further information from Dhaka.
Earlier, reports claimed that the ICC had rejected the BCB's request to shift the matches and issued an ultimatum that the team must travel to India or lose points. However, Bangladesh flatly rejected these reports and instead claimed that the ICC had assured them that they would work with the board to consider their demands.
