A dramatic standoff has unfolded over the venue for the upcoming Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Annual General Meeting (AGM), with cricketing powerhouses India and Pakistan seemingly entrenched in their positions, leaving the host Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in an awkward predicament. The dispute stems from the recent souring of relations between the two nations, which has already seen India postpone its scheduled August tour of Bangladesh until September 2026, citing security concerns.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has lodged a strong objection to holding the ACC AGM in Dhaka, where it is slated for Thursday, July 24th and Friday 25th. However, Mohsin Naqvi, the current ACC President and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), remains adamant that the meeting will proceed in the Bangladeshi capital. With just a day remaining until the scheduled AGM, neither the PCB nor the BCCI has shown any willingness to budge from their respective stances.
This inflexibility has put the BCB, as the host, in an unenviable position. The BCCI has reportedly threatened to boycott the AGM if Mohsin Naqvi does not relent on the venue change. Furthermore, there are claims that India has successfully persuaded the cricket boards of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Oman to also oppose holding the meeting in Dhaka.
The quorum for an ACC AGM requires the presence of a minimum of three Test-playing nations. The five permanent (Test-playing) members of the ACC are Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. According to the ACC constitution, at least 10 full or associate member countries must be present to form a quorum for the meeting. There is now considerable uncertainty as to whether this condition will be met for the upcoming AGM.
The list of full (non-Test playing) ACC member countries includes Nepal, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar. Additionally, associate member countries include Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Tajikistan, Maldives, Japan, Iran, China, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Reports suggest that attendance from Oman, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, and Indonesia is unlikely, further exacerbating the quorum concerns.
Amidst this venue drama, ACC President Mohsin Naqvi was reportedly absent from the ICC Annual Conference held in Singapore last Sunday. Interestingly, the current ICC Chairman is none other than former BCCI Secretary Jay Shah. Meanwhile, it is understood that Pakistan's Interior Minister and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi is attempting to convince Afghanistan to attend the Dhaka AGM. However, Cricbuzz has reported that Afghan cricket board officials have assured India that they will not be travelling to Dhaka.
Cricbuzz, citing an internal BCB source, indicated that "it seems the incident has turned into a geopolitical issue. The (BCB interim chief) Aminul Islam could have handled the matter more cautiously after receiving the proposal to host the meeting from the PCB president. I think he could have taken more time, perhaps due to inexperience, he agreed to host the AGM without fully understanding the geopolitical situation."
Conversely, another section of BCB directors has reportedly urged President Bulbul to cancel the Dhaka meeting. Cricbuzz, again quoting a BCB source, stated, "Bulbul was asked to cancel the meeting because some directors of the board did not want to do anything that would displease the BCCI. But the president (Bulbul) insisted that he had already given his word to the PCB, so he could not back out of that commitment." This internal conflict within the BCB highlights the immense pressure they are under as the two cricketing giants refuse to compromise.
