Did Bangladesh bow under Naqvi’s pressure? Former BCB General Secretary made a big revelation

New Delhi: Even before the start of the T20 World Cup, political turmoil has intensified in South Asian cricket. Bangladesh’s decision to withdraw from the tournament has raised many questions. Now the former General Secretary of Bangladesh Cricket Board has openly reacted on this entire matter and has made serious allegations against the current leadership. Former Bangladesh Cricket Board general secretary Syed Ashraful Haq termed the decision of current president Aminul Islam as a result of inexperience.

Syed Ashraful Haq says that the decision to withdraw from the T20 World Cup to be held in India was taken in haste. According to Haq, Aminul Islam was probably influenced by Mohsin Naqvi, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board and president of the Asian Cricket Council. He alleged that Naqvi persuaded Bangladesh to go along with his stand.

‘Security concerns’ or political pressure?

Bangladesh had officially refused to go to India citing security reasons. Due to this decision the team had to be out of the tournament. Soon after this, Pakistan also threatened to boycott the match against India and said that it was showing solidarity with Bangladesh. This development has once again sparked debate on the relationship between cricket and politics. Haq said that as an administrator, decisions should be taken on the basis of honesty and sportsmanship and not under external influence.

Comment on India-Bangladesh relations

Haq also said that there was an anti-India atmosphere in Bangladesh at that time, which had an impact on the decisions. However, he also raised the question why sports relations were affected only for political reasons. Recalling the old times, he said that when Jagmohan Dalmiya was associated with the Indian cricket administration, Bangladesh used to get respect and strong support. According to him, today the image of Bangladesh is being damaged due to the attitude of some people and the government.

Tension was visible on the field also

The effect of this controversy was visible on the field also. During the match played in Colombo, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav avoided the traditional handshake with his Pakistani counterpart Salman Ali Aga at the time of toss. This attitude was also seen during the Asia Cup in Dubai last year and now it was repeated again.

More discussion of politics than cricket

Countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan remain in global headlines because of cricket, but mutual differences often become a bigger issue than the game. This controversy that arose before the T20 World Cup has shown that when politics and sports collide, the impact is not limited to the field alone.