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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formally written to the International Cricket Council (ICC), throwing its support behind Bangladesh’s stance in the ongoing controversy over venues for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo.
The PCB sent an email to the ICC on Tuesday, backing the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to have its World Cup matches shifted out of India due to security concerns.
The email was also copied to other members of the ICC Board, although it remains unclear whether the PCB’s intervention directly prompted the ICC to call an emergency Board meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
The ICC, however, has so far remained firm on its position and is understood to be unwilling to move Bangladesh’s fixtures away from India.
The governing body has repeatedly conveyed to the BCB that the tournament schedule will not be altered, despite Bangladesh pushing for their matches to be staged in Sri Lanka, the co-hosts of the event alongside India.
The issue is expected to be discussed at the ICC Board meeting, which has been convened to address the BCB’s concerns.
January 21 had been set as the informal deadline for a resolution, with the tournament less than three weeks away from getting underway.
The ICC and the BCB have held multiple rounds of discussions over the past week, including a meeting in Dhaka last weekend, but both sides have remained entrenched in their positions.
Bangladesh have maintained that they are unable to send their team to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, while the ICC has insisted that matches must go ahead as originally planned.
The deadlock has fuelled speculation over possible alternative arrangements, including unverified reports suggesting that Pakistan had offered to host Bangladesh’s matches.
Neither the PCB nor the ICC has officially responded to ESPNcricinfo’s queries regarding the email or the wider implications of the dispute.
The standoff reportedly began after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for IPL 2026.
The move triggered a strong reaction in Bangladesh, with the country’s government subsequently stating that the national team would not play its World Cup matches in India.
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