Former general secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, Syed Ashraful Haque, has said that the current BCB chief Aminul Islam was naive and he was likely influenced by his Pakistan Cricket Board counterpart Mohsin Naqvi to pull out of the T20 World Cup in India, citing security concerns.

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan draw more attention than most other cricketing countries, yet the bloc is anything but cohesive. In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, tensions with the ICC escalated, with Bangladesh and Pakistan making eyebrow-raising moves.

Bangladesh declined to travel to India, citing ‘security concerns’, prompting their removal from the tournament. Pakistan then stirred further controversy by threatening to boycott their game against arch-rivals India, claiming they were acting in ‘solidarity’ with Bangladesh.

“As a cricket administrator, I focus on honesty and commitment. Aminul Islam, likely being naive, was influenced by Mr Mohsin Naqvi, the current ACC president, who persuaded him to go along. At the end of the day, who won?" Haque asked while speaking to RevSportz

“At the time, the government rode a wave of anti-Indian sentiment. Yet, there is no reason to oppose India except for the issue of harbouring a criminal, as claimed. Otherwise, Bangladesh needed the support of Indian cricket administrators. In Jagmohan Dalmiya’s era, we had respect and a strong position; now we risk becoming a laughing stock due to the actions of a few individuals and the government," Haque added.

Meanwhile, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav opted against the customary handshake with his Pakistan counterpart Salman Ali Agha at the toss of their T20 World Cup encounter in Colombo on Sunday, February 15, continuing a pattern that has been in place since the Asia Cup in Dubai last year.

Source: News18