Last Updated on 3 days ago by Charbel Coorey
Nasser Hussain, former England captain, express his concerns on how geopolitical standoffs have quietly seeped into domestic leagues across the globe. Speaking on Sky Sports’ Cricket Podcast, Hussain discussed how Pakistani talent is being silently, structurally locked out as Indian Premier League franchise owners buy majority stakes in tournaments including South Africa’s SA20, the ILT20, and England’s The Hundred.
Nasser Hussain on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast: Gap between India and Pakistan is the game hurting itself
Hussain told listeners that the financial framework of the sport is creating a net.
“I’m being a bit harsh on Pakistan, actually. I sort of felt I knew the result before I turned up to the game. You know, it’s unfair, it’s an uneven playing field,” Hussain said.
“You look at the big sides & it’s a bit self-perpetuating because they are playing more franchise cricket. They get better, and because they get better, their national teams get better. And because that happens, they play even more franchise cricket.
“So it’s not fair for Bangladesh and Pakistan, whose players don’t get the opportunity to go off and play in competitions like The Hundred. Marufa Akter from Bangladesh took wickets again yesterday, and Fatima Sana is an excellent cricketer. The world cricket and franchise leagues should be signing these players so that the competition is genuinely worldwide.”
Hussain’s view comes as India continued their dominance over Pakistan in World Cups. Harmanpreet Kaur’s team beat Pakistan comfortably by 64 runs in the Women’s T20 World Cup on Sunday.
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