Colombo, February 5, 2026: Former England captain Nasser Hussain has called on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to apply consistent standards to all teams, including India, as Pakistan maintains its stance of not playing its February 15 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match against India.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Hussain said the ICC’s “real test” lies in treating Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India with equal fairness. “If it had been India, and in the future if India, a month before a tournament, say our government does not want us to go and play in that country in a World Cup, would the ICC have been so firm and say, ‘you know the rules, bad luck, we’re knocking you out?’” he asked. “That is the only question that all sides ask for—consistency.”
Hussain warned that unequal treatment could weaken cricketing rivalries and hurt global competitiveness, pointing to the spillover of political tensions into franchise cricket. He noted concerns over whether franchises owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) owners might avoid picking Pakistani and Bangladeshi players, highlighting that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is monitoring The Hundred to ensure fair player selection.
Former England captain Michael Atherton added that there would likely be no change in policy, stating that The Hundred remains open to all players, though he acknowledged the need to monitor potential biases, as several teams are IPL-owned.
Hussain praised Pakistan’s resilience in cricket despite challenges and expressed support for its backing of Bangladesh in defending the ouster of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL. He urged cricket authorities to separate politics from sport: “At some stage, someone’s got to say: ‘Enough with this politics. Can we just get back to playing cricket?’”
His remarks follow Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s confirmation that the national team will not play India in solidarity with Bangladesh, which was removed from the tournament after refusing to travel to India due to security concerns. Sharif said the decision reflects Pakistan’s principle that politics should have no place in sports.
The ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, citing the impossibility of revising the schedule less than a month before the tournament’s start on February 7. The board has urged Pakistan to reconsider, emphasizing that a boycott is “not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan.”
The controversy follows earlier disputes between India and Pakistan over neutral-venue arrangements in ICC events, and it has heightened tensions across South Asian cricket ahead of the T20 World Cup co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
