By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s cricket board chairman said Monday that a decision on whether the country will play in the upcoming T20 World Cup is expected by the end of this week, after Bangladesh pulled out over security fears in India.
Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as both interior minister and head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the capital to discuss the situation. An official statement from the prime minister’s office confirmed Naqvi updated Sharif on the latest exchanges between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board about the tournament.
Naqvi later shared details of the talks on X, calling them useful.”I briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table,” Naqvi wrote. “It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday.”
The ICC on Saturday dropped Bangladesh from the event, which kicks off February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, and brought in Scotland instead. Bangladesh had asked to shift their games to Sri Lanka, pointing to safety risks in India tied to rocky ties between the two countries. The ICC turned down the idea, explaining that rearranging the fixtures this late was not practical. The council also noted in its statement that no solid evidence of threats to the Bangladesh squad in India had turned up.
Just before the ICC made its call, Naqvi had spoken out, saying Bangladesh deserved better treatment and a spot in the competition. Naqvi had publicly criticised the body’s handling of Bangladesh’s concerns, calling it unfair and insisting the South Asian side should be allowed to compete. At the time, he noted Pakistan’s own participation remained unconfirmed pending Sharif’s return from abroad. “The prime minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I’ll be able to give you our final decision,” Naqvi then told reporters.
Talk of a Pakistan boycott picked up after Bangladesh’s exit. The trouble stems from strained Bangladesh-India links, which worsened when ex-prime minister Sheikh Hasina escaped to New Delhi during country wide protest against her rule back home. Cricket got caught in the mix when Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman lost his place in the Indian Premier League, following orders from India’s board, even though he had a deal with a Kolkata team. Bangladesh hit back by blocking IPL telecasts at home and pushing for World Cup matches outside India.
This kind of clash is not new in the region’s cricket scene. For last year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, India’s board refused to travel there due to ongoing disputes between the two nations, who only meet in global competitions. They settled on a hybrid setup, with India’s games moved to Dubai to keep the event going. A similar arrangement runs through 2027, meaning Pakistan plays at neutral sites for ICC tournaments, including their T20 World Cup outings in Sri Lanka.
The World Cricketers’ Association on Sunday called Bangladesh’s pullout a tough blow for cricket. “The withdrawal of Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup, and resulting absence of a valued cricketing nation from cricket’s pinnacle international T20 event, is a sad moment for our sport, the Bangladesh players and fans, and one that requires deep reflection,” chief executive Tom Moffat said in a release. He urged stakeholders to “work towards uniting the sport, not dividing it”.
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