The India-Bangladesh rift might finally come to an end after the newly elected government tries to resolve the issues as soon as possible. Amidst this, in an exclusive interview with RevSportz, former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and former General Secretary of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Syed Ashraful Haque, has shared his views on the rift.
In the season 6 show of the Backstage with Boria, the former ACC CEO Ashraful Haque highlighted the importance for Bangladesh’s newly elected government and sports minister to understand the value of maintaining solid relationships with the Indian cricket board in order to ensure similar connections with other national boards around the world.
Former BCB boss believes Bangladesh was the sufferer between India-Pakistan row
Ashraful Haque was asked by Boria Majumdar if Pakistan played a role in provoking Bangladesh’s decision. Ashraful Haque said, “Possibly, though I prefer not to discuss politics. As a cricket administrator, I focus on honesty and commitment. Aminul Islam, likely being naive, was influenced by Mr. Mohsin Naqvi, the current ACC president, who persuaded him to go along. At the end of the day, who won?”
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Boria Majumder further asked, was Bangladesh the biggest loser during the India vs Pakistan rift, and missed the T20 World Cup? Ashraful Haque replied, saying, “Indeed. It is regrettable and reflects immaturity. At the time, the government rode a wave of anti-Indian sentiment.”
“Yet, there is no reason to oppose India except for the issue of harbouring a criminal, as claimed. Otherwise, Bangladesh needed the support of Indian cricket administrators. In Jagmohan Dalmiya’s era, we had respect and a strong position; now we risk becoming a laughing stock due to the actions of a few individuals and the government.”
‘Maintaining a strong relationship with Indian cricket is crucial’- Ashraful Haque
On being asked if ‘India is the financial hub of cricket, followed by Australia and England. Any country wanting strong alliances in world cricket must align with India first.’
Ex-BCB chief said, “Precisely. Bangladesh has been India’s strongest ally ever since I had joined the cricket administration. I was the chief campaign manager for Jagmohan Dalmiya during ICC elections and helped secure votes for him. Even during the 1996 World Cup in India, I played a key role.’
The Ex-BCB boss said, “Maintaining a strong relationship with Indian cricket is crucial; otherwise, we are going to go backwards. I believe the new government will try to resolve the issues from the past three months.”
Why did Bangladesh not play in the T20 World Cup?
Bangladesh was ousted from the T20 World Cup after they refused to travel to India, citing security reasons. Despite repeated reassurances from the ICC, they remained stuck with their stance and were thus replaced by Scotland.
The decision came after Mustafizur Rahman, who was picked by the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 9.20, was ordered to be released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to anti-India remarks from the neighbouring country.
Pakistan was the only one that supported Bangladesh’s stance. However, they were removed and suffered a loss in their revenue due to the rift caused before the T20 World Cup.
