Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi's recent public statements in support of Bangladesh have seemed to irk the global cricketing body, which is looking to take action if Pakistan continues on the same path, according to a report by The Indian Express
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Bangladesh out of T20 World Cup, PCB in focus as geopolitics tangle sub-continent cricket
As cricket navigates the complex geopolitical landscape of the Indian subcontinent, recent events reveal the sport's volatile intersection with politics. Bangladesh's exit from the T20 World Cup, rooted in internal political strife, has intrigued observers as Pakistan deliberates a potential withdrawal in support.
New Delhi: Cricketing contours are once again being redrawn by geopolitics in the Indian sub-continent.
For decades, political disruption in the region's cricketing ecosystem was largely framed as an India-Pakistan issue. That distinction no longer holds.
Unresolved bilateral tensions stemming from political and diplomatic issues have led to Bangladesh's exclusion from the T20 World Cup, starting February 7.
The troubles briefly threatened to widen with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday saying that his country's participation in the tournament would depend on government advise, hinting that they may pull out in solidarity with Bangladesh.
"Pakistan was fishing in muddy waters and trying the game of 2 vs 1. (Pakistan and Bangladesh against India)," former off spinner Harbhajan Singh told PTI.
"They already are playing in Sri Lanka, this wasn't their matter. Why interfere where you are needed? In the end, it is Bangladesh cricket team and its players who are losing. The players missing out on a World Cup participation is massive."
In any case, Naqvi's threat fizzled out as the PCB announced its 15-member squad for the World Cup on Sunday.
Still, it is clear that political frictions that once disrupted only one bilateral axis are now spilling into relationships previously considered stable, such as Bangladesh.
It exposes how deeply cricket in the Indian sub-continent is now intertwined with diplomatic equations.
Relations between India and Bangladesh strained following former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's dramatic exit from Dhaka and her subsequent move to India.
This was followed by a surge of anti-India feelings in Bangladesh and several killings of Bangladeshi Hindus.
For cricket, the first visible signs of strain emerged with the ouster of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL, apparently as retaliation for the killings of Hindus in Bangladesh. What followed was a battle for reputation for Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
They did not understand why Rahman was pushed out of the League and built their argument of shifting their World Cup matches to Sri Lanka, arguing that their players and others will be unsafe in India.
The International Cricket Council, which is now controlled by India, did not accept the argument.
Harbhajan said it became "a matter of ego" for the BCB, which erred by adopting an offensive strategy rather than looking for resolution.
"They should have kept the channels open for discussion with the ICC before straightaway saying "no" to coming to India," Harbhajan told PTI.
The spinner also said that Naqvi had no business in throwing a pull-out threat on Saturday.
The off-spinner said that from a purely cricketing point of view, Bangladesh team had a better chance of doing well on Indian tracks with quality spinners at their disposal.
"Had the T20 World Cup been played in England or Australia, they didn't even stand a chance but here they could have actually made it to second round and may be cause a few upsets in Super Eights. So it's no one's loss but Bangladesh's."
Despite decades of hostility, India and Pakistan now operate under a formal neutral-venue framework for ICC events.
That arrangement exists precisely because politics has consistently dictated cricketing ties between the two countries. While flawed, it preserves competitive integrity.
Bangladesh, by contrast, has no such institutional protection.
Years of relatively smooth cricketing exchanges with India meant there was never a perceived need for contingency mechanisms. When political relations soured, Bangladesh was left exposed - without fallback options, precedent or leverage.
For Bangladeshi cricket, the cost is immediate - lost World Cup participation, loss of revenue and reduced visibility for players.
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Source: EconomicTimes
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