In an impassioned salvo, former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for its alleged susceptibility to the sway of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
With the Champions Trophy 2025 languishing in uncertainty, Sethi’s critique underscores an escalating concern: that the ICC has morphed into little more than an instrument of Indian interests, a sentiment that resonates deeply within Pakistan’s cricketing circles.
Reflecting on his tenure with the PCB—particularly during the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2023, when the BCCI’s steadfast refusal to cross the border necessitated a convoluted “hybrid model” format—Najam Sethi lamented the potential coronation of Jay Shah as ICC Chairman.
Such an ascension, he argued, would only amplify India’s stranglehold over the sport’s governing body. “The ICC,” Najam Sethi asserted in a candid interview with a local news outlet, “is a toothless entity; it will never defy the BCCI because its financial lifeblood flows from Indian coffers.”
Taking his critique a step further, Najam Sethi delivered an straightforward assessment of what he perceives as the ICC’s identity crisis.
“The ICC,” he quipped, “is no longer the International Cricket Council—it’s become the ‘BCCI Cricket Council,’ with Jay Shah poised to occupy the proverbial throne.”
Amidst the diplomatic wrangling, Najam Sethi suggested that cricket’s administrators might be barking up the wrong tree entirely.
He contended that, rather than interminable parleys between the ICC, PCB, and BCCI, the discourse must migrate to a higher echelon—the governments of India and Pakistan.
Only a formal imprimatur from New Delhi, he opined, would compel the Indian cricket team to stride onto Pakistani soil.
“Debate between ICC, PCB and BCCI is useless. The discussion should be held between governments of Indo-Pak. Indian Cricket Team will run towards Pakistan the moment [it is] given permission by Government of India,” Najam Sethi stated.
Najam Sethi further proposed that a direct overture from the Government of Pakistan to Prime Minister Narendra Modi could, conceivably, pave the way for Indian participation in Pakistan.
“If the Government of Pakistan reaches out to Modi, there’s a distinct possibility he might relent,” he speculated, leaving a diplomatic door ajar.
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I had said in an earlier letter that Pakistan should push China to enter the cricket field thereby diluting India’s hold on the ICC. China could have become a test playing nation 10 years ago if Pakistan helped it.
Cricket is a sport meant for gentlemen, not politicians or financiers. It must be freed from the influence of those who have no rightful say. If one side imposes its will based on financial power, it could lead to dictating match outcomes. The PCB’s stance is justified; it’s essential to protect the integrity of the game.