The standoff between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the T20 World Cup 2026 has caught the attention of the entire cricket world, and now the former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has openly backed the governing body.
Danish Kaneria backs ICC’s stand on Bangladesh standoff over T20 World Cup 2026
Kaneria has supported the ICC’s decision to stick to the original schedule, saying it is not possible to change a global tournament at the last moment. He noted that all cricket boards agreed with the ICC, so Bangladesh’s request for the venue change could not be accepted.
Bangladesh had asked the ICC to move their matches from India to Sri Lanka because of security concerns. But the ICC rejected this request and said the tournament will go ahead as planned, with Bangladesh’s games still in India. The ICC also said that all teams would get full security.
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The controversy began after the BCCI asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad due to public protests in the wake of violence and the killing of Hindus in the neighboring country. And Kaneria explained that Rahman was removed by the KKR to avoid trouble and not because of pressure from the ICC or BCCI.
BCCI or ICC never asked Bangladesh not to come to India: Kaneria
Danish Kaneria was quoted as saying by IANS: “The BCCI or ICC never asked Bangladesh not to come to India. They welcomed them. All the teams in the ICC umbrella get foolproof security.”
Kaneria also said that the violence and unrest happening in Bangladesh were very sad and disturbing. People were attacked without any reason, and it is very sad to see such things happen, and it hurts the spirit of the game. He said, “The strange and disturbing acts that took place were very sad. It really makes your heart sink—what is going on?”
He warned that Bangladesh’s decision to not travel to India could be very bad for them in the long term. Kaneria said, “If they think that whatever they say should be accepted by the ICC as a decision, that won’t work. Going forward, India will not play with Bangladesh anyway, and that will be a big loss for them.”
ICC has backup plans if Bangladesh backs out
The former Pakistan spinner also said that if Bangladesh refuses to play, the ICC has backup plans. Kaneria pointed out that the ICC meeting saw support from almost every major cricket board, including England, Australia, and the West Indies.
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Only Bangladesh and Pakistan were against the decision, which made it difficult to justify a last-minute change. Kaneria further explained, “I believe the ICC’s decision is absolutely correct, because things cannot be changed at the last minute.
You have to prepare the entire tournament structure, schedules, and team travel. You have to change the whole scenario. If Bangladesh feels they don’t want to play, then don’t play. It won’t make much difference anyway; it’s not like they were going to finish in the top four.”
Pakistan won’t follow Bangladesh: Kaneria
Kaneria urged everyone to keep politics away from cricket and focus on the sport. He also denied Pakistan will ever follow Bangladesh’s stand against the ICC.
He signed off by saying, “I don’t think that will happen. Because who suffers the loss? The country that backs out suffers the loss. There are penalties, rules, and regulations. If Bangladesh doesn’t go, Scotland can come in. If Pakistan refuses, some other team will come. Namibia is playing very good cricket. The ICC and BCCI won’t be affected.”
