BCCI's better handling of Mustafizur saga could've averted T20 WC drama: ex-official

Former International Cricket Council (ICC) Head of Communications Sami-ul-Hasan Burney on Monday said the BCCI could have avoided the current T20 World Cup turmoil by handling Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman's IPL exit with greater discretion.

Former International Cricket Council (ICC) Head of Communications Sami-ul-Hasan Burney criticised the Board of Control for Cricket in India's handling of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman's exit from the Indian Premier League, saying the Indian board could have spared the ICC Men's T20 World Cup the current turmoil by acting with greater discretion.

Kolkata Knight Riders releasing Mustafizur on the BCCI's directive set off a chain of events that eventually led to Bangladesh withdrawing from the tournament, scheduled to begin on February 7, after refusing to play matches in India citing "security concerns."

In a subsequent development, Pakistan decided to forfeit its group-stage match against India on February 15 following instructions from its government.

Burney, who later served as Media Director of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said the situation escalated due to avoidable public communication.

"Things could have been easily avoided if cricket administrators had been more careful and avoided public statements suggesting that a Bangladesh player had to be removed from a franchise," Burney told Press Trust of India.

"They did not need to announce it publicly. The franchise could have been informed privately, the player released, and the issue would not have escalated," he said.