‘No team is bigger than the organisation’: ICC chair Jay Shah sends firm message

International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah underlined that no single team are bigger than world cricket, addressing the controversy surrounding participation doubts, not mentioning the names of Bangladesh and Pakistan directly from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Speaking at the Indian Business Leader Awards in Mumbai, Shah revealed that uncertainty over the involvement of certain teams had threatened to overshadow the tournament even before a ball was bowled.

“This World Cup was very important because there was a lot of chatter before the start of the tournament about whether certain teams would participate and how the World Cup would go ahead,” Shah said, according to NDTV reports.

Without naming any country, the ICC chief made his position clear.

“As ICC chairman, I can say that no team is bigger than the organisation and no single team makes an organisation,” he added. “An organisation is a combination of all teams.”

Shah’s remarks come in the wake of intense pre-tournament debate involving Bangladesh and Pakistan, which had drawn global attention before the competition began.

Bangladesh had earlier raised serious concerns over travelling to India, citing security issues, despite repeated assurances from the ICC. The situation escalated further when Pakistan briefly threatened to boycott their high-profile group-stage clash against India in solidarity, before later reversing their stance.