Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, said he quite likes Bangladesh and Pakistan sticking to their guns regarding their stance for the T20 World Cup 2026, set to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. Bangladesh have already been shown the door from the competition after they refused to travel to India, citing security concerns. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) took this call following the ouster of Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) despite being picked by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 9.20 crore.
The Bangladesh removal led Pakistan to also boycott the India contest in the 20-team tournament, and no one really knows whether the encounter between the arch-rivals will go ahead on February 15 in Colombo. Back-channel talks are already underway; however, the Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has stated that the stance will be maintained.
Amid the ongoing standoff between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC, Hussain said that he quite likes Bangladesh and Pakistan taking a firm stand, as the time has come for someone to say “enough is enough”. He also urged the concerned parties to stop mixing politics into the sport.
“I quite like Bangladesh sticking to their guns. They stood up for their player, the Fiz. And I quite like Pakistan. I know it’s political. I quite like Pakistan sticking up for Bangladesh. And at some stage, someone’s got to say enough with this politics. Can we just get back to playing cricket?” Hussain said on the Sky Cricket Podcast in a conversation with Michael Atherton.
