Bangladesh, Pakistan playing or opting out won’t matter to ICC or BCCI: Danish Kaneria
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New Delhi, Jan 23 : Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria strongly supports the ICC’s stance of not changing the schedule, amid the BCB decision to not travel to India for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, stating if Bangladesh are opting out of the tournament, it won't make much difference, adding that "it’s not like they were going to finish in the top four."
Bangladesh earlier informed the ICC that they would not travel to India due to security concerns amid deteriorating relations between the two nations and requested that their matches be relocated to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC reiterated on Wednesday that the T20 World Cup will proceed as scheduled, with Bangladesh’s matches to be played in India.
This follows the BCCI's direction for Kolkata Knight Riders to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026 amid prevailing political tensions between the two countries.
Speaking to IANS, Kaneria said, “There was the issue of Mustafizur, who was with KKR, and the team was forced to sideline him because of the kind of unrest and the public reaction. Shah Rukh Khan, who is the owner of KKR, released him. There was no pressure from the BCCI, nor from the ICC. But for humanity, he did what he thought was right.
“The BCCI or ICC never asked Bangladesh not to come to India. They welcomed them. All the teams in the ICC umbrella get foolproof security.”
Referring to the ICC meeting that followed, he pointed out, “You saw that a meeting took place where all the boards were present—from England to Australia, West Indies—every board that is part of the ICC was there. When voting took place, everyone supported what the ICC proposed. Only the Pakistan Cricket Board voted along with Bangladesh. Just two votes went against it.”
Kaneria said the developments in Bangladesh that preceded the standoff were deeply disturbing and wrong at a human level.
“When I look at this entire scenario, what was going on in Bangladesh, the kind of situation that developed there, the way our Hindu brothers and sisters and others were treated, the way incidents happened, it was wrong, first of all,” Kaneria said.
“Our religion doesn’t teach violence; it is a religion of love. People were just earning their livelihood, doing their jobs, and they were attacked without any reason. The strange and disturbing acts that took place were very sad. It really makes your heart sink—what is going on?”
The former spinner also warned that Bangladesh’s firm stance could prove damaging in the long term, and its cricketing future would suffer.
“In my view, this is not going to be good for Bangladesh in the long run. If they think that whatever they say should be accepted by the ICC as a decision, that won’t work. Going forward, India will not play with Bangladesh anyway, and that will be a big loss for them.”
Backing the ICC’s decision-making process, Kaneria stressed that mega tournaments cannot be altered at the last moment. "I believe the ICC’s decision is absolutely correct, because things cannot be changed at the last minute. You have to prepare the entire tournament structure, schedules, and team travel. You have to change the whole scenario.
“If Bangladesh feels they don’t want to play, then don’t play. It won’t make much difference anyway; it’s not like they were going to finish in the top four,” he added.
On reports that Pakistan might follow Bangladesh’s path, Kaneria dismissed the speculation and asserted that the ICC has alternatives ready.
“I don’t think that will happen. Because who suffers the loss? The country that backs out suffers the loss. There are penalties, rules and regulations. If Bangladesh doesn’t go, Scotland can come in. If Pakistan refuses, some other team will come. Namibia is playing very good cricket. The ICC and BCCI won’t be affected.”
Kaneria feels that if Bangladesh had come to the World Cup, then its players could also get entry in the IPL in future. "If Bangladesh had come to play the T20 World Cup in India, then the barrier that has been created in the IPL with Mustafizur Rahman would have broken, and more Bangladeshi players would have taken part in the league."
Kaneria also talked about how cricket discourse has shifted away from the game itself, and now politics are more discussed than techniques.
“Now cricket is no longer being discussed, and only politics is being talked about. Earlier, people talked about wickets, bowling, and techniques. Now everything has become political.”
“Technical cricket doesn’t sell. What sells? Kohli vs Babar comparisons. Shaheen Afridi vs Bumrah comparisons,” he noted.
Calling for restraint, Kaneria urged stakeholders to protect the sport and not involve politics in cricket.
“For the future generation, it is very important that cricket is protected and promoted. Look at cricket as cricket. Let politics remain with politicians and authorities. Do not involve cricket in politics.”
He concluded by stressing that decisions must be driven by long-term vision rather than short-term reactions. “You have to look at the long picture, not the short. Now let’s see what the final decision is, though in my opinion it must already have been taken, as nearly 24 hours have passed. What is good for cricket must be done, and as I said earlier, Scotland would already be preparing to face spin.”
Bangladesh earlier informed the ICC that they would not travel to India due to security concerns amid deteriorating relations between the two nations and requested that their matches be relocated to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC reiterated on Wednesday that the T20 World Cup will proceed as scheduled, with Bangladesh’s matches to be played in India.
This follows the BCCI's direction for Kolkata Knight Riders to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman for IPL 2026 amid prevailing political tensions between the two countries.
Speaking to IANS, Kaneria said, “There was the issue of Mustafizur, who was with KKR, and the team was forced to sideline him because of the kind of unrest and the public reaction. Shah Rukh Khan, who is the owner of KKR, released him. There was no pressure from the BCCI, nor from the ICC. But for humanity, he did what he thought was right.
“The BCCI or ICC never asked Bangladesh not to come to India. They welcomed them. All the teams in the ICC umbrella get foolproof security.”
Referring to the ICC meeting that followed, he pointed out, “You saw that a meeting took place where all the boards were present—from England to Australia, West Indies—every board that is part of the ICC was there. When voting took place, everyone supported what the ICC proposed. Only the Pakistan Cricket Board voted along with Bangladesh. Just two votes went against it.”
Kaneria said the developments in Bangladesh that preceded the standoff were deeply disturbing and wrong at a human level.
“When I look at this entire scenario, what was going on in Bangladesh, the kind of situation that developed there, the way our Hindu brothers and sisters and others were treated, the way incidents happened, it was wrong, first of all,” Kaneria said.
“Our religion doesn’t teach violence; it is a religion of love. People were just earning their livelihood, doing their jobs, and they were attacked without any reason. The strange and disturbing acts that took place were very sad. It really makes your heart sink—what is going on?”
The former spinner also warned that Bangladesh’s firm stance could prove damaging in the long term, and its cricketing future would suffer.
“In my view, this is not going to be good for Bangladesh in the long run. If they think that whatever they say should be accepted by the ICC as a decision, that won’t work. Going forward, India will not play with Bangladesh anyway, and that will be a big loss for them.”
Backing the ICC’s decision-making process, Kaneria stressed that mega tournaments cannot be altered at the last moment. "I believe the ICC’s decision is absolutely correct, because things cannot be changed at the last minute. You have to prepare the entire tournament structure, schedules, and team travel. You have to change the whole scenario.
“If Bangladesh feels they don’t want to play, then don’t play. It won’t make much difference anyway; it’s not like they were going to finish in the top four,” he added.
On reports that Pakistan might follow Bangladesh’s path, Kaneria dismissed the speculation and asserted that the ICC has alternatives ready.
“I don’t think that will happen. Because who suffers the loss? The country that backs out suffers the loss. There are penalties, rules and regulations. If Bangladesh doesn’t go, Scotland can come in. If Pakistan refuses, some other team will come. Namibia is playing very good cricket. The ICC and BCCI won’t be affected.”
Kaneria feels that if Bangladesh had come to the World Cup, then its players could also get entry in the IPL in future. "If Bangladesh had come to play the T20 World Cup in India, then the barrier that has been created in the IPL with Mustafizur Rahman would have broken, and more Bangladeshi players would have taken part in the league."
Kaneria also talked about how cricket discourse has shifted away from the game itself, and now politics are more discussed than techniques.
“Now cricket is no longer being discussed, and only politics is being talked about. Earlier, people talked about wickets, bowling, and techniques. Now everything has become political.”
“Technical cricket doesn’t sell. What sells? Kohli vs Babar comparisons. Shaheen Afridi vs Bumrah comparisons,” he noted.
Calling for restraint, Kaneria urged stakeholders to protect the sport and not involve politics in cricket.
“For the future generation, it is very important that cricket is protected and promoted. Look at cricket as cricket. Let politics remain with politicians and authorities. Do not involve cricket in politics.”
He concluded by stressing that decisions must be driven by long-term vision rather than short-term reactions. “You have to look at the long picture, not the short. Now let’s see what the final decision is, though in my opinion it must already have been taken, as nearly 24 hours have passed. What is good for cricket must be done, and as I said earlier, Scotland would already be preparing to face spin.”
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