ICC President Jay Shah breaks silence on Pakistan–Bangladesh drama, sends strong message to both teams

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): ICC President Jay Shah has spoken for the first time about the controversy surrounding the 2026 T20 World Cup, stating that no team or country is bigger than the ICC. He said the organization functions through the collective efforts of all its member teams and not because of any single nation.

Speaking at an awards ceremony, Shah said there had been a lot of speculation before the tournament about whether some teams would participate. He emphasized that the ICC stands above individual teams and credited the success of the tournament to the contribution of all participating nations. He also noted that the event created history in terms of viewership and saw several surprising results, with associate teams performing strongly against major cricketing nations.

The controversy began when Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the World Cup, after which the ICC removed them from the tournament and replaced them with Scotland. Pakistan then threatened to boycott the event in support of Bangladesh and even announced it would skip its group-stage match against India. However, after ICC intervention and assurances regarding Bangladesh, Pakistan decided to participate. Pakistan was later eliminated in the Super Eight stage, while India went on to win its second consecutive T20 World Cup.