'Cricket Cannot be...': Viewership Math Laid Bare as ICC Faces 'Influence' Allegations Over Bangladesh T20 World Cup Boycott

ICC T20 World Cup 2026: After Bangladesh boycotted the upcoming T20 WC, the spotlight has been on the Pakistan Cricket Board to see what will their stance be. The PCB have all along claimed that they are backing the BCB on the matter. Reports had claimed that the PCB would give a final call on their participation in the marquee event, but they have delayed it. PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has said that the decision would be given on Friday and that builds unnecessary intrigue. 

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Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammed Yousuf has now laid bare the viewership match and tried to explain how Bangladesh not featuring would hurt ICC. 

“Bangladesh and Pakistan completely created unnecessary drama. By not going to the T20 World Cup with India, Bangladesh made a big mistake. The issue was not serious enough to justify such a major decision. I think that in the future, India will not play any matches with Bangladesh, nor will it support them in any way,” he said on his YouTube channel. 

Viewership Math Laid Bare

"The combined cricket viewership of New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Nepal, Netherlands, Ireland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan is broadly equivalent to the viewership Bangladesh generates on its own.
10 nations combined:178 million
Bangladesh alone: 176 million
In a sport driven by global audiences, sidelining Bangladesh’s legitimate security concerns raises serious questions about consistency and governance.
When accommodation becomes selective, fairness disappears.
Cricket cannot be administered by influence — only by principle."

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Not just Yousuf, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, along with Rashid Latif and Kamran Akmal, have also criticised the ICC over its decision on Bangladesh.