ICC Chairman Jay Shah has broken his silence on the pre-T20 World Cup controversy involving Pakistan and Bangladesh’s boycott threats, stating firmly that no team is bigger than the organisation. He also praised the tournament’s record-breaking viewership and the impressive performances of associate teams against full-member nations.
International Cricket Council (ICC) Jay Shah has finally broken his silence on the pre-T20 World Cup drama involving Pakistan and Bangladesh, who were at the centre of a major controversy over participation in the tournament.
Bangladesh and Pakistan created major uncertainty ahead of the marquee event, which was concluded with Team India successfully defending the T20 World Cup triumph, as both teams threatened to boycott the event after Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the group stage.
Bangladesh refused to play their group-stage matches after the ICC rejected their request to shift the venue to Sri Lanka. Later, Bangladesh was removed from the tournament and replaced by Scotland. Supporting Bangladesh, Pakistan initially threatened to pull out of the tournament before scaling it down to boycotting their group stage clash against India, only to later make a U-turn.
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‘No Team Bigger Than Organisation’
Speaking at the Indian Business Leaders Award in Mumbai, Jay Shah finally opened up on the drama before the T20 World Cup. The ICC chairman stated that the tournament was extremely important amid the uncertainty surrounding the participation of certain teams.
The former BCCI secretary added that no team is bigger than the world governing body of cricket, stressing that the organisation is built on the collective participation of all member nations rather than any single team.
“This ICC World Cup was very important because there was a lot of chatter before the start of the tournament about whether certain teams would participate and how the World Cup would go ahead,” Jay Shah said after receiving the ‘Outstanding Contribution in Sports Award’ at the event in Mumbai.
“As ICC chairman, I can say that no team is bigger than the organisation and no single team makes an organisation. An organisation is a combination of all teams,” he added.
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Since Pakistan participated in the tournament, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) avoided potential sanctions and financial penalties, while Bangladesh faced no punishment despite withdrawing from the event, as the ICC later confirmed that no disciplinary action would be taken against them.
ICC Chairman Praises Associate Teams
The recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026 witnessed the associate teams making their mark in the tournament, with Zimbabwe, the USA, Netherlands, Nepal, and the Netherlands delivering impressive performances, pushing several full-member nations to the brink in closely contested matches.
Jay Shah highlighted the tournament’s massive global success, noting record-breaking viewership and strong performances from associate teams. He praised the likes of USA, the Netherlands, and Nepal for challenging full-member nations and showcasing the growing competitiveness of international cricket.
“The World Cup has shattered all viewership records. For the first time in history, we recorded 7.2 million concurrent viewers. All records were broken in overall viewership,” the ICC chairman said.
“If you see, the USA gave India a hard time, the Netherlands troubled Pakistan, Zimbabwe beat Australia, and Nepal gave England a scare. I congratulate all the associate teams; they have done very well against the full members,” he added.
The T20 World Cup 2026 turned out to be one of the most competitive editions of the tournament, with several associate nations producing strong performances and contributing to record-breaking global viewership. Though the Men in Blue successfully defended their T20 World Cup crown, associate teams also impressed with strong performances against full-member nations.
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