The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wants to hit the International Cricket Council (ICC) where it hurts the most. The PCB is mulling over targeting ICC’s cash cow, the India vs Pakistan match, to protest against Bangladesh’s removal from the T20 World Cup 2026.
Pakistan backing Bangladesh
After the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to travel to India, citing security concerns, the ICC replaced them with Scotland in Group C of the T20 World Cup. The PCB labelled the move as double standards since India was allowed to play the Champions Trophy 2025 in the UAE instead of Pakistan. But the same wasn’t done for Bangladesh.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had stated that Pakistan will take the final call on participating in the T20 World Cup after he discusses the matter with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“We are waiting for the prime minister to return. Bangladesh has been treated unfairly. I said the same in the board meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC). You cannot have double standards, where one country can make whatever decision whenever and do the total opposite for another country. That is why we have taken the stand that Bangladesh is being treated unfairly and should be allowed to play the World Cup in any case.
They are a major stakeholder, and this injustice should not be done. The thing is that Bangladesh is the same member as Pakistan. And our stance is that if you have done this favour with Pakistan and India, then you should do the same with Bangladesh. The main reason for this is that one country cannot dictate to another. And if this dictation is attempted, then Pakistan definitely has its own stance,” Naqvi had said.
No India vs Pakistan match at the T20 World Cup?
By the looks of it, Pakistan won’t pull out of the T20 World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. Just yesterday, they announced their squad for the ICC event. But they might find a way to make their displeasure felt and still manage to qualify for the Super 8 stage.
According to GeoTV, as a sign of protest, PCB is considering boycotting playing against arch-rivals India in Colombo on February 15. The match will be the biggest moment of the T20 World Cup, considering how sour the relationship between the two nations is.
Naqvi has discussed the matter with Sharif in Islamabad. After the meeting, he informed that PCB will announce their decision on either Friday (January 30) or next Monday (February 2). However, one must remember that ICC would retaliate if PCB pulls such a move. The ICC will lose out on major money and could take away Pakistan’s revenue share from the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date | Match | Teams | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Feb 7 | 1st Match, Group A | Pakistan vs Netherlands | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club | 11:00 AM |
| Tue, Feb 10 | 12th Match, Group A | Pakistan vs USA | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Feb 15 | 27th Match, Group A | India vs Pakistan | Colombo, R. Premadasa Stadium | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Feb 18 | 35th Match, Group A | Pakistan vs Namibia | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club | 3:00 PM |
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