Following Bangladesh’s decision not to participate in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and the country's interior minister Mohsin Naqvi has indicated that Pakistan could also reconsider its participation.
Pakistan has already been granted a concession by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and will play all its league matches, including its fixture against India, in Sri Lanka.
Dawn News reported that when asked about a potential boycott, Naqvi said, “We are waiting for the prime minister to return,” adding that a final decision would be taken then.
Naqvi also voiced support for Bangladesh, alleging that the ICC had treated the country unfairly by ejecting it from the tournament.
“Bangladesh has been treated unfairly. I said the same in the board meeting of the 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.”
Naqvi’s comments come after the ICC officially removed Bangladesh from the tournament after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to play matches in India. Scotland has been named as the replacement.
The ICC informed the BCB of its decision via email on Friday evening after the board said the Bangladesh government had not granted permission for the team to travel to India.
The report added that the BCB had taken the matter to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC). However, no official statement has been made public on the DRC process or the ICC’s response.
The ICC’s decision follows three weeks of discussions between the ICC and the BCB over Bangladesh’s refusal to send its team to India for the tournament, citing security concerns.
Scotland was included based on the latest ICC rankings. The European nation has previously featured in six of the nine editions of the Men’s T20 World Cup, in 2007, 2009, 2016, 2021, 2022 and 2024.
Earlier, the BCB had requested that the ICC shift its matches outside India to Sri Lanka, citing “security and safety concerns” for its players.
The request followed a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asking IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman ahead of the 2026 season, amid violence against minorities in Bangladesh.
The ICC later rejected the BCB’s request to relocate its matches during a video conference convened to discuss the way forward.
BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul subsequently confirmed that the board stood by its decision not to play its Men’s T20 World Cup matches in India after the ICC rejected the request.