PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has cast doubt over Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup following Bangladesh’s removal on Saturday (January 24).
The ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the upcoming World Cup after the BCB refused to soften their stance of not travelling to India for the event. Bangladesh were firm that they wanted all their games shifted to Sri Lanka, co-hosts of the World Cup, as they didn’t want to travel to India for security reasons.
Discussing Bangladesh’s removal from the World Cup, the PCB chairman addressed a press conference, where he criticised ICC’s decision, while also claiming that Pakistan were yet to take a final decision on their participation in the upcoming event.
“Our stance will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me,” he said. “The Prime Minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I'll be able to give you our final decision. It's the government's decision. We obey them, not the ICC.”
He also hinted that India were allowed to play all their Champions Trophy 2025 matches in Dubai after they refused to travel to Pakistan for the tournament, but Bangladesh were removed altogether from the T20 World Cup.
“The ICC have been unfair to Bangladesh, and I brought up this point during the board meeting as well,” he added. “There can’t be any double standards when dealing with different sides as one is allowed to dictate terms, while the other is sidelined. Bangladesh deserve to play at the World Cup, they are among the biggest stakeholders in the game.”
“If the government of Pakistan tells us to not play, then they can bring in a 22nd team,” he concluded, referring to Scotland as the 21st side in the tournament after they replaced Bangladesh.
The BCB-ICC saga started after the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. Just a day later, the Bangladesh cricket board informed the ICC of its decision not to travel to India for the World Cup.
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