‘Salty’ Saqlain Mushtaq Bizarrely Calls ICC the “Indian Cricket Council” After Pakistan’s Humiliating T20 World Cup Exit

Saqlain Mushtaq coached Pakistan to the 2022 T20 World Cup final, their last appearance in the championship match before their struggles.

‘Salty’ Saqlain Mushtaq Bizarrely Calls ICC the “Indian Cricket Council” After Pakistan’s Humiliating T20 World Cup Exit

Ex-Pakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq wittily called ICC the 'Indian Cricket Council'. (via NDTV Sports)

In Short
  • Saqlain Mushtaq criticized the ICC, referring to it as the "Indian Cricket Council" after Pakistan's T20 World Cup exit.
  • Pakistan was eliminated despite a win against Sri Lanka, finishing third in Group 2 due to a lower Net Run Rate.
  • Mushtaq blamed head coach Mike Hesson for Shadab Khan's poor performance, citing technical errors in coaching methods.

Following Pakistan’s embarrassing T20 World Cup exit, former spinner Saqlain Mushtaq launched into a bizarre public outburst. He questioned the ICC’s integrity, as well as pitch preparations, even lambasting the global body for its perceived favoritism toward India.

Pakistan’s campaign came to an unfortunate end, despite them having won their final Super Eight fixture against Sri Lanka. Although the Men in Green finished tied with New Zealand, their lower Net Run Rate of -0.123 placed them third in Group 2. Put to bat first, Pakistan raced to a massive first innings total of 212/8. Sahibzada Farhan brought up his second hundred of the campaign, finishing with 100 runs off 60 balls. 

He found a new opening partner in Fakhar Zaman, who also contributed with 84 runs off 42 balls, to put up an unbelievable 176-run stand. Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 runs in order to qualify.

However, Pavan Rathnayake’s 58-run innings off 37 balls ensured that the Men in Green would go home empty-handed, before Dasun Shanaka brought Sri Lanka close in the chase with a blistering 76 off 31 balls, only to fall short by five runs. 

Speaking after his team’s exit on a show on the Tapmad platform of Pakistan, former Pakistan great Saqlain Mushtaq added an edge to the conversation by talking about how pitch preparation would play a role in the final Super Eight clash between India and West Indies in Kolkata.

Although he complimented the Indian team’s growth in the shortest format, as well as West Indies continuing its legacy, Mushtaq took a swipe at the playing surfaces within the subcontinent.

Standing by his earlier criticism of the International Cricket Council, Mushtaq made another scathing remark, exclaiming that pitch conditions could tilt the balance in favor of the home side. The 49-year-old acknowledged that the match would be a high-octane clash, before sarcastically referring to the ICC as the ‘Indian Cricket Council’. He quickly clarified with a witty turn that he was actually referring to the BCCI, adding that the pitch might be ‘tailor-made’ to some extent to suit the Indian team.

Let’s see what kind of track the ‘ICC’, and by that, I mean the Indian Cricket Council, not the international one, rolls out for them. Getting a pitch tailor-made for their squad could easily give them [India] a 10 to 15 percent edge.

Mushtaq’s cry, however, appears to be a desperate effort, given Pakistan’s no-show. He had previously sparked controversy following India’s 76-run defeat to South Africa, after opining that the Indian team was ‘dragged’ along the ground. 

Saqlain Mushtaq attributes son-in-law’s T20 World Cup struggles to Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has been at the center of controversy, even since he was named in the 15-member squad for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Following the team’s disastrous Super Eight exit, Saqlain Mushtaq blamed head coach Mike Hesson for Khan’s failures.

Saqlain Mushtaq on Shadab Khan Mike Hesson
Saqlain Mushtaq blamed Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson for Shadab Khan’s struggles. (via Facebook)

Shadab Khan is married to Malaika Saqlain, the daughter of the legendary off-spinner. As a result of this high-profile association, allegations of ‘favoritism’ have been made against the 27-year-old. His place in the side was questioned, with former players even stating that Mike Hesson has often favored him due to external pressure, despite the fact that he has not performed significantly in domestic cricket.

As Pakistan crashed out, Khan was slammed for taking only five wickets and scoring 118 runs in seven matches. However, his father-in-law, Saqlain Mushtaq, surprisingly blamed the ‘technical errors’ in Mike Hesson’s coaching methods as the reason behind Shadab Khan’s struggles. He even drew comparisons with other spin-bowling all-rounders, like India’s Axar Patel and New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner. 

He [Mike Hesson] wants both batting and bowling. And when I was head coach, the information given to me by the selection committee was that he [Shadab Khan] is equally good in both… If his utilization was right, the value of the things could have been better.

Nonetheless, rumors seem to suggest that Shadab Khan might actually be handed the captaincy role, should the Pakistan Cricket Board decide against continuing with Salman Ali Agha. It has led to further criticism, with fans suggesting that the all-rounder should instead be dropped.

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