TMC MP Kirti Azad raised questions on ICC – Why are India and Pakistan matches always in the same group?

Durgapur (West Bengal)14 February. Former international cricketer and currently ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party MP in West Bengal, Kirti Azad has accused the International Cricket Council (ICC), the supreme body governing world cricket, and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of collusion and raised questions as to why India and Pakistan are kept in the same group in most of the international tournaments.

It is noteworthy that arch-rivals India and Pakistan will face Sri Lanka’s R.K. on Sunday under the ICC T20 World Cup. They will face each other at Premadasa Stadium. Before this great match, former cricketer of the World Cup winning team and TMC MP Kirti Azad made these allegations in an interview given to ETV Bharat.

Kirti Azad has raised the question as to why India and Pakistan are kept in the same group in every season of the ICC T20 World Cup. In this sequence, he has accused ICC and BCCI of fixing this group arrangement in advance.

Why are India and Pakistan always in the same group? ? isn’t this fixing?

Azad said, ‘I have a question which I will ask the board (BCCI) and ICC. You will see that every time the teams in the group change. Sometimes Australia is playing with England and sometimes Australia goes to some other group. Sometimes the New Zealand team comes. The groups of these teams keep changing. But, tell me why India and Pakistan always play in the same group? Is this not fixing?’

Citing statistics, the former cricketer said, ‘Group teams are selected through lottery, so do India and Pakistan fall in the same group every time? Or are the names of these two teams kept separate in advance so that they both play together? This issue raises questions on his impartiality.

It is noteworthy that from 2014 to 2026, India and Pakistan have been in the same group in the main stage of every season of the ICC T20 World Cup. Both the teams were part of the same group in the 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024 T20 World Cups.

Also raised voice against politics and nepotism in cricket administration

Kirti Azad also raised her voice against politics and nepotism in cricket administration. He took a direct dig at former BCCI secretary and current ICC president Jay Shah as an example of politics and nepotism.

Kirti said, ‘When the Lodha Committee was formed under the leadership of the Supreme Court, they had also said the same (that there should not be political personalities in cricket administration). Justice Thakur’s bench had also said the same thing. But, later all the rules were removed. Now you can see who is sitting on top.

Kirti said sarcastically, ‘Look how much we know about cricket. Jay Shah, who is an even bigger batsman than Sunil Gavaskar, is sitting in the ICC. Is there anyone greater than him? People talk about nepotism. It is said that if the father is there, the son is safe. Here, the father is in politics and the son is in ICC. Who are we, we can’t even play cricket. Jai Shah knows how to play cricket. Apart from him, no one else knows how to play cricket.

Azad believes that ICC and BCCI should maintain transparency. According to him, to keep the tradition of playing cricket alive, the first condition is for its administration to be transparent and fair.