- PCB chief says he held productive meeting with PM Shehbaz.
- Mohsin Naqvi says he briefed premier on ICC matter.
- PM directs to ‘keep all options on the table,’ says Naqvi.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Monday said that a final decision regarding Pakistan’s participation in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 would be taken either on Friday or next Monday.
Naqvi’s statement came after he met Prime Minister Shehbaz in Islamabad and briefed him on Pakistan’s stance regarding participation in the tournament.
Taking to X, the PCB chief said: “He [PM Shehbaz] directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday,” he added.
The meeting follows reports of a potential boycott by Pakistan after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to move their games to a venue outside India.
The BCB requested the venue change after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the Indian cricket board’s instructions, sparking fury in Bangladesh.
However, the ICC replaced them with Scotland in the showpiece event on Saturday, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the tournament.
In a statement on Saturday, the ICC said that it made the decision after finding no “credible or verifiable security threat” to the Bangladesh national team in India.
Bangladesh’s exclusion triggered reports of Pakistan’s possible withdrawal from the tournament.
Bangladesh-India row
Relations between Bangladesh and India have been strained relations in recent times, with political tensions between the two neighbouring countries after Bangladesh’s former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled to New Delhi following protests against her.
Political tensions have since then spilt into cricket.
Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from this year’s Indian Premier League despite signing with its Kolkata franchise. Bangladesh responded by banning IPL broadcasts in the country and demanding to play World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.
The standoff mirrors previous tensions in South Asian cricket.
For the Champions Trophy last year, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) stuck to its policy of not touring Pakistan because of the strained political ties between the bitter neighbours, who play each other only in ICC events.
Like for the 2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan, a “hybrid model” was agreed on under which India were allowed to play their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai to salvage the tournament.
Under the agreement running until 2027, Pakistan will play in a neutral venue for any ICC event, including the T20 World Cup, where they are scheduled to play their matches in Sri Lanka.
