Islamabad, Feb 9 (UNI) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will take the final call on whether Pakistan proceeds with or maintains its boycott of the India match at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Geo News reported on Monday.
According to the report, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz later in the day to brief him on his recent discussions with an International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation.
Pakistan has announced its decision not to play arch-rivals India in solidarity with Bangladesh, which was removed from the tournament after standing firm on its refusal to send the team to India over security concerns.
A day earlier, talks involving the PCB, ICC, and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) lasted more than five hours, with Naqvi, BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul, and ICC deputy chairman Imran Khwaja in attendance.
During the meeting, the ICC reportedly responded positively to Bangladesh’s demands, and a formula to address the BCB’s grievances was prepared, as per Geo News.
Proposals were exchanged between the ICC and the BCB, while the PCB played a key coordinating role during the discussions. ICC deputy chief Khwaja has since returned to the council’s headquarters for final approval of the proposals, while Bulbul has headed back to Bangladesh to brief authorities in Dhaka.
Once the proposed formula is finalised, ICC and BCB officials are expected to reconnect later on Monday to determine the next course of action.
Tensions between the Bangladesh and Indian cricket boards escalated after Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League (IPL) following directions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), triggering strong reactions in Dhaka.
Subsequently, the BCB requested the ICC to shift Bangladesh’s matches outside India, but the plea was rejected. The ICC later replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, citing the impracticality of altering the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the World Cup.
The PCB reacted sharply to the decision, accusing the ICC of bias against Bangladesh and announcing its decision to boycott the India match as a form of protest.
