Mohsin Naqvi and India vs Pakistan (Agency Photos)
T20 World Cup 2026:Three out of the five proposals made by the Pakistan Cricket Board to reverse its boycott of the match against India on February 15 were rejected by the International Cricket Council. Resuming the bilateral series against India and a tri-series with Bangladesh were among Pakistan’s requests.The ICC rejects Pakistan’s request a bilateral series against India.
In their meeting with the International Cricket Council on Sunday, the Pakistan Cricket Board made a number of demands about Pakistan’s position on boycotting their February 15 T20 World Cup match against India. Proposals for a tri-series including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India as well as the revival of bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan were among the three demands that the ICC turned down.
Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, was also given a day by the ICC to confer with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and clarify the board’s position. It is anticipated that sometime on Monday night or Tuesday early, the international governing body would formally announce the outcome of the India-Pakistan match. The ICC rejects Pakistan’s request a bilateral series against India
ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja and Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, attended the five-hour-long meeting on Sunday. Interestingly, Aminul Islam Bulbul, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, also traveled to Lahore to participate in the talks after Pakistan became the only member country to vote against Bangladesh’s expulsion from the T20 World Cup since the BCB refused to travel to India for its matches.
In a social media post on February 1, the Pakistani government declined its senior national team’s request to play against India in the T20 World Cup, without giving any other information. The decision was made as a show of solidarity for Bangladesh, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif subsequently explained, accusing the ICC of showing partiality.
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(1) WHAT WERE THOSE 5 DEMANDS?
The ICC received a total of five demands. The PCB’s main stance in its talks with the ICC over the previous four days has been the harsh treatment of Bangladesh, which Pakistan feels was unjust.
(1.1)No penalty for Bangladesh: Pakistan demanded that Bangladesh be given its full share of ICC earnings and that it not be penalized for withdrawing from the T20 World Cup; the ICC had previously made this decision on its own.
(1.2)Global compensatory event:Due to social turmoil, the Women’s T20 World Cup was shifted from Bangladesh to Dubai last year, prompting the ICC to provide the country a compensatory global competition. The next cycle’s Under-19 World Cup was suggested as a potential substitute. The ICC rejects Pakistan’s request a bilateral series against India
(1.3)India-Pakistan bilaterals: Pakistan insisted that the ICC support India’s return to playing cricket with Pakistan on a bilateral basis.The ICC rejects Pakistan’s request a bilateral series against India, emphasizing that even within the context of the World Test Championship, bilateral series are not under its purview.
(1.4)Tri-series and Bangladesh tour: The idea of a tri-series between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well as plans for India to visit Bangladesh later this year in preparation for a 2025 postponed series were also rejected. The International Criminal Court argued that it lacks the power to order bilateral or trilateral series.
(2)CAN INDIA VISIT COLOMBO?
Although the BCCI has not yet released an official statement, it is rumored that the board is awaiting official word from the ICC over the situation.
Top sources claim that the Indian squad will follow ICC protocol to the letter. It is anticipated that the team will arrive in Sri Lanka on time and complete its customary pre-match preparations, which include training sessions and the required pre-match press conference. In the event that Pakistan decides not to play,and The ICC rejects Pakistan’s request a bilateral series against India India will arrive at the R Premadasa Stadium at the appointed hour on match day and wait for the referee to make a decision regarding the cancellation of the match.
(3)IF PAKISTAN WITHDRAW, WHAT ABOUT THE LOSSES?
According to PTI, the India-Pakistan match continues to be the most profitable match in international cricket, bringing in Rs 2,200 crore.
Even though bilateral cricket has been prohibited for the past 14 years due to deteriorating diplomatic ties, the ICC has capitalized on that appeal by pairing the two nations in the same group at every major tournament since 2012. The ICC rejects Pakistan’s request a bilateral series against India
A no-show would seriously harm the ICC’s finances, and if Pakistan is unyielding, they might lose millions of dollars in income. For a major game with a 10-second commercial space that might cost up to Rs 40 lakh, the host broadcaster may lose between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore in ad income.
Additionally, Pakistan noted an email sent to the PCB by Sri Lanka Cricket. Sri Lanka Cricket said that the island nation, which is co-hosting the showpiece with India, would suffer financial losses as well as damage to its reputation if the highly anticipated match between the bitter rivals was not played on February 15.