- Joined
- Aug 12, 2023
- Runs
- 23,865
Nasser Hussain exposed the double standards of the ICC on the podcast:
"I guess the real comparison would be, and this is the real question that only the ICC can answer: If it had been India, and in the future, if India, a month before a tournament, say our government does not want us to go and play in that country in a World Cup, would the ICC have been so firm and say, 'You know the rules, bad luck, we’re knocking you out'?"
"That is the only question that all sides ask for is consistency. You have to treat Bangladesh the same as you treat Pakistan and the same as you treat India. India fans will say, 'Cry more, we have the money, it’s all down [to us],' but with power comes responsibility. If you are constantly knocking Bangladesh or Pakistan, their cricket diminishes, and hence those great games that we’ve seen in the past between India and Pakistan or India and Bangladesh become one-sided, as they have done."
"I would argue that the politics is obviously spreading through franchise cricket. You know, are franchises with Indian owners picking Pakistan players now, and will they pick Bangladesh players in their franchise teams? It's worth keeping an eye on now that there are four of those teams owned by IPL owners. That’s the game shooting itself in the foot, isn’t it?"
"If your Pakistan players are not playing in franchises, then you see other countries playing in SA20 and how their cricket’s going through the roof. I’m amazed how well Pakistan have done and continue to do with everything that they’re working against. I actually quite like Bangladesh sticking to their guns. They stood up for their player, 'The Fiz' [Mustafizur Rahman]. And I quite like Pakistan—I know it’s political—sticking up for Bangladesh."
"At some stage, someone’s got to say, 'Enough with this politics. Can we just get back to playing cricket?' The only way Pakistan can hurt the ICC or even India is with the money and the finances of that India-Pakistan game."
"I guess the real comparison would be, and this is the real question that only the ICC can answer: If it had been India, and in the future, if India, a month before a tournament, say our government does not want us to go and play in that country in a World Cup, would the ICC have been so firm and say, 'You know the rules, bad luck, we’re knocking you out'?"
"That is the only question that all sides ask for is consistency. You have to treat Bangladesh the same as you treat Pakistan and the same as you treat India. India fans will say, 'Cry more, we have the money, it’s all down [to us],' but with power comes responsibility. If you are constantly knocking Bangladesh or Pakistan, their cricket diminishes, and hence those great games that we’ve seen in the past between India and Pakistan or India and Bangladesh become one-sided, as they have done."
"I would argue that the politics is obviously spreading through franchise cricket. You know, are franchises with Indian owners picking Pakistan players now, and will they pick Bangladesh players in their franchise teams? It's worth keeping an eye on now that there are four of those teams owned by IPL owners. That’s the game shooting itself in the foot, isn’t it?"
"If your Pakistan players are not playing in franchises, then you see other countries playing in SA20 and how their cricket’s going through the roof. I’m amazed how well Pakistan have done and continue to do with everything that they’re working against. I actually quite like Bangladesh sticking to their guns. They stood up for their player, 'The Fiz' [Mustafizur Rahman]. And I quite like Pakistan—I know it’s political—sticking up for Bangladesh."
"At some stage, someone’s got to say, 'Enough with this politics. Can we just get back to playing cricket?' The only way Pakistan can hurt the ICC or even India is with the money and the finances of that India-Pakistan game."

