PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi on Monday, February 9, said a final decision on whether his country will boycott the T20 World Cup match against India will be clear in the next 24 hours, acknowledging hectic parleys with the International Cricket Council (ICC), involving his Bangladesh counterpart Aminul Islam Bulbul.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Naqvi also said that the PCB is waiting for a response from the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on certain issues.
“We have had discussions with them. It would not be right for me to make any comments right now. Once we get their response, we will decide. We will go back to the PM (Shehbaz Sharif) for advice once the ICC replies,” Naqvi told reporters.
“An announcement will come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” he said.
“We respect our guests, and ICC came to our house, so we respected them. At this point in time, we cannot say much as negotiations between the ICC and Bangladesh are ongoing. Bangladesh’s stance was valid, so we had to back them,” he added.
All eyes are on Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi and the outcome of his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after the ICC refused all three demands put forward on Sunday.
Naqvi had kept a few demands, including the resumption of Indo-Pak bilateral cricket and a tri-series involving Bangladesh, to offset the losses that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had incurred following their shocking ouster from the global event.
Earlier, the Pakistan government announced it would boycott the Group A match in solidarity with Bangladesh, which was removed from the tournament following its refusal to travel to India.
The case of Indiathe –Pakistan clash in the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for February 15 (Sunday) in Colombo, remains a mystery.
PCB seeks PM Sharif’s nod for India-Pak match
Naqvi is set to brief Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the latest developments on the issue later on Monday. He is set to request Sharif to withdraw the boycott of their T20 World Cup match against India after being requested to do so by his Bangladesh counterpart, a PCB source has revealed.
Bangladesh Cricket Board President, Amin ul Islam, was in Lahore for the talks Naqvi had with Imran Khawaja, vice chairman and independent director of the ICC.
“Naqvi will brief the PM on the communications he has had with the Bangladesh, Sri Lankan and Emirates cricket boards and with the ICC on the crisis,” the source said.
The final decision rests with Sharif, and the PCB would abide by it.
Sri Lanka and Emirates board have both urged the country to review its decision and the PCB source confirmed that Islam, while appreciating the support Pakistan has shown for Bangladesh cricket, also requested Naqvi to end the boycott.
(With PTI inputs)
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