PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that the final decision on the team's participation in next month's T20 World Cup has been postponed after his meeting with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Naqvi had met the Pakistan Prime Minister to seek advice on the situation, after which a decision was expected, but the PCB chief posted on Facebook that the final decision will now be taken on Friday or next Monday.
This drama may prove costly for Pakistan. It may happen that he himself gets trapped in his own trap. In fact, according to media reports, Pakistan cannot refuse to play in the T20 World Cup 2026, because they know that if this happens, the ICC can again convince Bangladesh to play in the tournament.
New twist in T20 World Cup controversy
After the exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman from IPL, Bangladesh Cricket Board made T20 World Cup an issue and took enmity with BCCI and ICC by expressing security concerns in India. However, there is now a slight possibility that the ICC may recall Bangladesh, as there are a little more than ten days left for the first match to be held on February 7.
Whether Bangladesh will enter the T20 World Cup or not depends on Pakistan. The interesting thing is that Pakistan itself is doing this drama in support of Bangladesh. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering boycotting the World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. According to a report in Hindustan Times, if they take this decision, ICC will give the first chance to Bangladesh as a replacement.
The report quoted an official as saying, "If Pakistan decides to withdraw from the tournament, Bangladesh will be given the opportunity to take their place in Group A and play all their matches in Sri Lanka as per BCB's original request. This arrangement will pose only limited logistical challenges."
Let us tell you that Pakistan has already announced the team for T20 World Cup 2026. In such a situation, there is a possibility that he will not make a big mistake of boycotting the tournament. On Monday, Naqvi said that they will take a decision by Friday or next Monday, which will leave hardly any time to replace them in Group A. The report says that such a step would be a violation of the agreement between the PCB, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the ICC.
