Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has described the exclusion of Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) as an “extreme insult.”
Addressing an election rally as the chief guest at the Satkhira Government Boys’ School field on Tuesday, he criticised neighbouring India for not allowing the fast bowler to participate even in a “friendly match,” calling it an insult to both the nation and the sport.
Praising the left-handed pacer, he stated that Mustafizur has brightened the image of Bangladesh in the global cricketing arena.
Shafiqur noted that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) withdrew its decision to play the T20 World Cup in India following the controversy over his exclusion.
He expressed disappointment and “shame” at the fact that the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not comply with BCB’s “logical” demand to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. Urging the ICC to reconsider, the Jamaat ameer hoped that the ICC would review its decision while there is still time.
The controversy began on 3 January, when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the decision to exclude Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL due to threats from certain extremist groups.
Following this incident, the BCB cited security concerns and informed the ICC that the Bangladesh national team would not travel to India for the T20 World Cup, holding multiple meetings with the ICC in an effort to find a solution.
Following the last such meeting on Wednesday, the ICC gave Bangladesh a 24-hour ultimatum to retract its decision, unwilling to take the games out of India.
On Thursday, Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul met with players from the national team and later confirmed that the authorities remained firm in their decision to boycott the event in India.
Since then, the ICC has officially replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the World Cup.
