NEW DELHI: Indian journalist Sharda Ugra has launched sharp criticism of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following Bangladesh’s elimination from the ICC T20 World Cup and Pakistan’s consideration of boycotting their match against India.
Sharda Ugra stated that the ICC’s office has essentially become the Dubai office of the BCCI, meaning the ICC now does whatever the BCCI wants.
This was evident during the ICC Executive Board meeting as well.
The Indian journalist described the handling of the current World Cup issue as extremely clumsy and poorly managed, severely damaging the ICC’s own reputation.
She linked the situation to the removal of a Bangladeshi player from the IPL and suggested Pakistan’s potential involvement could be a response to India’s past behavior.
Ugra called the decision to remove Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL a political one, asserting that the BCCI is closely tied to India’s ruling authorities.
She questioned who prevented the Indian team from shaking hands with Pakistani players in the past, noting that this remains unanswered.
She further argued that India’s influence over the ICC and other boards is a key reason for the ongoing World Cup crisis.
When Bangladesh faced issues traveling to India, the ICC suddenly remembered the tournament rules.
Ugra emphasized that India’s financial power in international cricket is behind the current state of affairs.
After Jay Shah became ICC Chairman, he appointed another Indian as CEO.
She suggested that if someone from another country held the CEO position, the situation would have been handled differently.
She lamented that cricket, which should be a shared cultural opportunity, has turned into a center for political battles, where India uses the sport to settle scores with neighbors.
Bangladesh did not receive the same facilities as India because it lacks comparable influence.
Continuing, the journalist said the ICC is no longer a serious sports body.
A genuine sports organization would recognize how badly the matter has been mishandled.
Expressing her views, Ugra noted that the entire situation gives the impression that the event is not being organized as a true sports tournament.
The ICC has effectively excluded a team representing millions of people from the competition.
She added that the cricket boards of England and Australia have become facilitators for the BCCI.
If Bangladesh’s demands had been accepted, it would have hurt the BCCI’s ego.
This criticism comes amid heightened tensions in the 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, where Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland after refusing to play matches in India over security concerns (stemming from the Mustafizur Rahman IPL removal and broader geopolitical issues).
Pakistan has expressed solidarity with Bangladesh and is reviewing its participation, though a full boycott appears unlikely.
