England all-rounder Moeen Ali has delivered a blunt assessment of the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying the global body does not act like a neutral guardian of the game and instead effectively serves the interests of “one cricket nation.”
In an interview given in Bangladesh, Moeen said the sport is drifting towards a football-style model dominated by franchise leagues, while the ICC fails to protect smaller boards and players caught in the crossfire.
Moeen said something is “seriously wrong” with how decisions are being made, arguing that Pakistan, Bangladesh and others “all know there are multiple issues” but nothing changes.
Asked directly if the ICC is acting like a true governing authority, Moeen’s answer was blunt.
He said the ICC has “never really” behaved as a proper guardian body and that everyone inside the game knows “who actually runs things”, but few are willing to say so publicly. He also criticized powerful boards and major cricket nations for staying silent.
Moeen added that countries like Australia and England should be speaking up about double standards but don’t, because “everyone has their own agenda and as long as they’re fine, they don’t care about others.”
Moeen used the recent treatment of Mustafizur Rahman as a flashpoint example. The Bangladesh pacer was released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on the instructions of the BCCI despite earning a strong IPL contract on the back of years of top-level performances.
“I feel worst for Mustafizur,” Moeen said, noting that the left-armer finally secured a major deal, only to be the one “suffering the most” from decisions made above his head.
He argued that Mustafizur playing for Kolkata would have been a huge moment for Bangladeshi fans and Bengali supporters in India, and called the fallout “sad” and “nonsense”.
