Nasser Backs Bangladesh, Lauds Pakistan Stand in T20 Row

Former England captain and renowned cricket commentator Nasser Hussain has voiced strong support for Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, while also praising Pakistan for standing in solidarity with Bangladesh amid the controversy.

Speaking on a Sky Sports podcast with fellow former England skipper Mike Atherton, Hussain said he admired Bangladesh’s resolve in a situation where political and administrative pressures threatened to overshadow the game.

“I actually quite like Bangladesh sticking to their guns. They stood up for their player, the Fizz,” Hussain said, referring to star pacer Mustafizur Rahman. “And I also quite like Pakistan — I know it’s political — but I like Pakistan sticking up for Bangladesh.”

Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to begin on February 7 across Sri Lanka and India, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declined to send the national team to India, citing security concerns.

The standoff began earlier this year when Mustafizur Rahman was dropped by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on January 3, reportedly following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision sparked anger within Bangladeshi cricket circles and was seen as the starting point of a wider dispute involving cricket boards and governing bodies.

As tensions escalated, Bangladesh maintained its position on safety concerns, a move that eventually led to their exclusion from the tournament. Pakistan later announced it would boycott its group-stage match against India on February 15 in support of Bangladesh, turning the issue into a major flashpoint in international cricket.

Hussain suggested that Pakistan’s decision was a calculated one, noting that financial pressure remains the most effective leverage against powerful cricketing interests.

“At some stage, someone’s got to say, ‘enough with this politics. Can we just get back to playing cricket?’” Hussain said. “Maybe this is a real crunch point, because the only way Pakistan can hurt the ICC or even India is with the money — the finances of that India-Pakistan game. That’s the only way.”

The former England captain also raised serious questions about consistency in the ICC’s handling of member nations, wondering whether the same strict approach would have been applied had India faced similar travel restrictions.

“The real question that only the ICC can answer is this: if it had been India — or in the future, if India — a month before a World Cup says, ‘our government does not allow us to go and play in that country’, would the ICC have been so firm?” Hussain asked. “Would they have said, ‘you know the rules; bad luck, we are knocking you out’?”

According to Hussain, fairness and equal treatment are essential for the credibility of global cricket governance.

“All sides ask for is consistency. You have to treat Bangladesh the same as you treat Pakistan and India,” he said.

Hussain also called on India, currently the most powerful force in world cricket both on and off the field, to act with greater responsibility.

“India fans will say, ‘cry more, we have the money’. But with power comes responsibility,” he said. “If you are constantly knocking out Bangladesh and Pakistan, their cricket diminishes. And then those great contests we’ve seen in the past — India versus Pakistan or India versus Bangladesh — become one-sided, as they already have.”

The comments from Hussain have added weight to the ongoing debate over politics, power imbalance and governance in international cricket, with many observers seeing the T20 World Cup row as a defining moment for how the ICC handles future conflicts involving its full member nations.