Bangladesh out, Scotland in

Bangladesh remained adamant that it would not play in India, even though all its group matches for the T20 World Cup were scheduled there. The International Cricket Council made good on its threat to bring in Scotland if Bangladesh stayed out. Bangladesh is the only full ICC member which will not be part of the tournament. This is yet another example of how India misuses cricket to project its own goals, which are very petty in this case. India has shown that it is fully capable of misusing its position if it gets one. At the moment, the ICC Presidency is in the hands of India, in the shape of BCCI Secretary General Jai Shah, who is also the son of Interior Minister Amit Shah, which is why it rejected Bangladesh’s proposal that it be switched with Ireland, whose group matches are all in Sri Lanka. The Bangladeshi proposal that its matches be shifted to Pakistan was also shot down. Bangladeshi concerns about team security have been raised after the Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladeshi allrounder Mustafizur Rehman because his security could not be guaranteed.

The so-called Indian concerns about his security arose because of some protests outside Indian missions in Bangladesh, against the sanctuary given to the alleged killer of student leader Hadi Usman, who had been murdered in Dhaka. Apparently, India wants impunity to kill whoever it wants in Bangladesh, and converted protests into a threat to security, which it visited upon Mr Rehman. India has already converted cricketing ties with Pakistan into a political battlefield. It seems poised to do the same with Bangladesh. And then who next? Nepal? Afghanistan? Any country in South Asia?

How should Pakistan react? There has been a hint that Pakistan might act in solidarity with Bangladesh, and it should seriously consider pulling out. Bangladesh, after all, had almost no chance of winning. Pakistan is better placed, but the way things are going, it will not have much chance. Though the ICC may pull another associate member out of its hat, the very reason for giving India so much leverage, the TV viewership, with two full members out, the tournament will be debased. That might serve as a wake-up call to the other members, who might realize they have given too much power to an idol whose feet are made of clay.