Lahore: Pakistan will withdraw its decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India following Bangladesh’s request, while Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that the final decision on this will be taken in the next 24 hours. Acknowledging talks with the ICC along with Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Aminul Islam, Naqvi said in a press conference that the PCB is waiting for answers from the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board on some issues. The match against India is to be held in Colombo on 15 February.
Media reports said that Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has also received a call from Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who has requested him to withdraw the decision of boycott. Geo News said that Sharif has assured that the Pakistani team will play against India. Naqvi, however, told reporters, ‘We have spoken to him. It would not be right for me to comment right now. We will take a decision after we get their reply. We will go back to the Prime Minister (Shahbaz Sharif) for advice after getting the ICC’s reply.
Bangladesh said thank you to PCB
He said, “An announcement can be made tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.” We respect our guests and when ICC came to our house, we gave them full respect. At this time I cannot say much because talks are going on between ICC and Bangladesh. If Bangladesh was right, we had to support it.” Bangladesh was thrown out of the tournament for refusing to play in India due to security reasons.
BCB chief Islam, in a statement issued in Dhaka, thanked Pakistan but also said that playing this match against India is in the interest of cricket. “We are thankful to Pakistan for standing with Bangladesh during this time,” he said in a statement. May this brotherhood continue.
What did ICC say on Bangladesh?
The ICC said in a statement issued in Dubai that no penalty will be imposed on Bangladesh for refusing to play in India. Scotland is playing the tournament in place of Bangladesh. “It has been agreed that no financial, sporting or administrative penalty will be imposed on the Bangladesh Cricket Board in relation to the ongoing issue,” the ICC said in a statement.
It said, “BCB has the right to approach the dispute resolution committee.” This right remains intact under the ICC’s existing rules. The ICC said that its approach is based on the principles of fairness and equality and reflects the shared objective of helping rather than punishing. The ICC also said that Bangladesh will be given the opportunity to host an ICC tournament between 2028 and 2031.
What did Mohsin Naqvi say on the whole matter?
Mohsin Naqvi also rejected speculations that the PCB is under pressure after receiving a warning of action from the ICC. He said, “You know that we are not afraid of these threats. Everyone knows our Field Marshal (Aseem Munir). We are not afraid of any sanctions.” According to sources, Naqvi will inform the Prime Minister about the recent developments on this issue and will request him to withdraw the decision of boycott after the request of Bangladesh Cricket Board.
The match against India is to be played in Colombo on 15 February. The source said, “Naqvi will inform the Prime Minister about his conversations with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cricket Board and the ICC and apprise him about the crisis.” The source said that Naqvi raised many issues in the conversation with Khawaja. This includes the resumption of India-Pakistan cricket and organizing a tri-series including Bangladesh so that the Bangladesh Cricket Board can compensate for the loss caused by being out of the World Cup.
Demand for bilateral cricket has been rejected
India-Pakistan bilateral cricket is not under the purview of ICC, while the demand for a triangular series has been rejected. India has not played a tri-series in more than a decade. ICC may give hosting of the next Under-19 World Cup to Bangladesh.
According to the source, “Naqvi asked Khawaja whether the ICC would have maintained silence if the Pakistan team had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from an Indian board official.” The trophy is currently in a closed room at the Asian Cricket Council headquarters in Dubai. Naqvi had clarified that he would hand over the trophy in the presence of the media.