Shashi Tharoor, a member of Parliament, has criticized cricket’s growing politicisation in the wake of Pakistan’s decision to boycott its ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match against India, calling the incident “pretty disgraceful.” Tharoor has also encouraged all stakeholders to engage in conversation to avoid the situation developing further.
Tharoor stated that the issue surrounding the India-Pakistan match had gone beyond sport, with political factors overshadowing cricketing values. He also mentioned the Mustafizur Rahman incident, claiming that the Bangladeshi pacer should not have been refused an Indian Premier League contract in the first place, and describing Bangladesh’s subsequent reaction as harsh.
“It is pretty disgraceful that sport has been politicised in this way on both sides, frankly. I don’t think that Mustafizur (Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman) should have been denied his contract to play in Kolkata. It was most unfortunate. Intrusion of politics, I think the Bangladeshi reaction was an overreaction but it is also a reflection of the same and Pakistan is trying to show its solidarity with Bangladesh. This whole thing is spiralling out of control,” Tharoor told as per Economic Times.
Highlighting cricket’s function as a unifying force, Tharoor emphasized the importance of rapid engagement amongst interested parties and urged that the ICC serve as a forum for resolution.
“I think we need to really need to come to an understanding that sports, especially a sport like Cricket which means so much to all the people, should be a means of bringing us together at least on the playing field, rather than allowing this to go on like this. I honestly think this is now a wake up call for all concerned to contact each other on an emergency basis, the ICC could be the platform for it – just say, let’s call off this nonsense…You can’t go on like this forever,” Tharoor added.
The comments followed the Men in Green’s declaration that they would not play India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match scheduled for February 15. In a post on X, the Pakistani government said it had granted the national team permission to compete in the tournament but would not allow it to face India.
In a retort, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said that “selective action” would run counter to the fundamental values of any global sporting event and fair play, and maintained that there should be same competition for all the participating teams. The ICC went on to say it anticipates the PCB would work with them to find an agreeable resolution that safeguards the integrity of the game for all stakeholders.
The ICC also said that while it respects governments have a role in national policy, the decision is not in the interest of the global game and its fans. It added that the selective involvement of teams undermines the spirit and integrity of ICC events, and could have long-term consequences for cricket’s global ecosystem.
