Moeen Ali slams cricket bosses over Mustafiz fiasco

Speaking during his Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) stint with Sylhet Titans, Moeen weighed in on the broader structural issues facing world cricket — particularly the congested December-to-February window, when multiple franchise leagues overlap, creating conflicts with international commitments and player interests.

“I think the solution will be like football, where you play international World Cups, ICC events, maybe one or two big series,” Moeen told Daily Sun in an exclusive interview. “But the rest will be franchises. So it’ll be the leagues, and then international cricket would be just less. But the game is in a problem anyway at the moment because of this and then like what’s happened to Mustafiz, for example. Yeah, something’s not right, to be honest with you. And the game needs something to come in and help everything be proper because it’s not just Mustafiz. Obviously, we know Pakistan, Bangladesh — you have issues. It’s going to keep happening and it’s a problem.”

His remarks come amid one of the most dramatic episodes in recent Bangladesh cricket history, triggered by Mustafizur Rahman’s unexpected release from Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders earlier this week.

The pacer was bought for a significant sum (Tk 9.2 crore) at the auction but was later removed from the squad after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) intervened, citing security concerns.

The decision sparked political and sporting fallout in Bangladesh, where authorities went as far as ordering a suspension of IPL broadcasts and flagging security concerns over the country’s participation in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India.

“I feel more for Mustafiz more than anything, because he had such a good deal and his career is — for years he’s been grafting and doing, and then he finally gets something good and he could have been in the other team, but then KKR got him, and he’s the one who’s suffering more than anything, really,” Moeen said, expressing sympathy for the fast bowler.

On Bangladesh’s position in the dispute, Moeen said he did not blame the national side but questioned the way the situation was handled.

“I don’t blame Bangladesh, but I just think it’s silly from whoever is doing all these things… People play cricket and people love cricket, especially in the subcontinent. People love watching the players play, and for Fizz to be playing for KKR would have been amazing for Bangladesh — Bangladeshi people — not just here but also the Bengals over there. So it’s sad. It’s just silly. It’s been happening for a long time, but no one’s been saying anything. Everyone brushes it under the carpet,” he said, echoing a sentiment shared by fans and cricket insiders alike.

Moeen’s criticism extended to the sport’s global regulator. “ICC have never been like that anyway, not supposed to have, and that’s the fact. But no one says anything. Everybody knows that it’s run by…” he said, trailing off, before noting that major cricket nations such as Australia and England also avoid taking public stances on contentious issues. “They don’t speak up. They should. But the world is like that — not just in cricket, in politics, in the world. It’s just like that. People have their own agendas, so as long as they’re okay, no one cares,” he added.