Advertisement
Advertisement
LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said that a final call on the national team’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be taken by the federal government.
Naqvi’s remarks came after reports emerged that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the upcoming World Cup following Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India for the event.
The ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had been engaged in prolonged discussions over the issue, but failed to reach a compromise.
Earlier this week, the ICC formally rejected Bangladesh’s request to relocate their matches from India to Sri Lanka, insisting the existing schedule would remain unchanged and issuing what was effectively a final ultimatum.
Against that backdrop, sources had suggested that Pakistan could also consider boycotting the tournament should Bangladesh withdraw or be forced out.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Mohsin Naqvi made it clear that the PCB would not act independently on the matter and would align itself with the government’s position.
“The prime minister [Shehbaz Sharif] is currently not in the country. Once he returns, we will announce a final decision,” Naqvi said when asked about Pakistan’s stance following the ICC’s decision on Bangladesh.
The PCB chairman openly criticised the ICC’s handling of the situation, accusing the governing body of applying double standards and treating Bangladesh unfairly.
“Bangladesh has been treated unjustly. I raised the same point during the ICC board meeting,” Naqvi said.
“You cannot have a situation where one country is allowed to make decisions whenever it wants, while another is denied the same consideration.”
He stressed that Bangladesh should, in his view, be allowed to participate in the World Cup under any circumstances.
“They are a major stakeholder in international cricket. This kind of injustice should not happen,” he added.
Naqvi also alluded to what he described as the BCCI’s influence over ICC decision-making, warning that Pakistan would not accept any form of diktat.
“Bangladesh is the same ICC member as Pakistan,” he said. “If concessions have been made in the past for certain countries, then the same approach should be applied to Bangladesh.”
“One country cannot dictate terms to another. And if any such attempt is made, Pakistan will take its own clear stance,” Naqvi concluded.
READ: Bangladesh replaced by Scotland at T20 World Cup 2026: report
