Bangladesh has asked ICC to move its matches out of India to Sri Lanka in T20 World Cup.
Concerned about the safety of its players in India, the BCB is in talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Along with other international body delegations, the ICC and its chairman, Jay Shah, have been in Mumbai for discussions at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) office.
After the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declared that it would not be traveling to India for the major ICC event, the PCB offered its "ready and fully equipped" venues as an alternative, according to Pakistani media outlet Geo News.
However, any official communication from either PCB or ICC around this development is still awaited.
On Sunday, PCB insiders alerted Pakistan-based media site Geo Super of the board's interest in hosting Bangladesh's matches following their feud with India, which threatened the World Cup schedule.
“Pakistan has formally conveyed its interest in hosting Bangladesh's T20 World Cup fixtures if venues in Sri Lanka are unavailable. All Pakistani venues are fully prepared to stage World Cup matches. Pakistan has already successfully hosted major ICC events, including the Champions Trophy 2025 and the ICC Women's Qualifier, and is therefore capable of organising these matches smoothly as well,” PCB sources were quoted as saying by Geo Super.
Bangladesh will play their first three group stage matches in Kolkata, followed by the final match in Mumbai. According to initial reports, the ICC has denied the BCB's request to transfer them for the time being, but the Bangladeshi board has refused to back down, even if it is unlikely to consider boycotting the event.
India's ties with the PCB and its chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, are already at an all-time low, with similar disputes brewing, most notably the Asia Cup trophy row. The BCCI, PCB, and ICC have agreed that all India-Pakistan matches in multi-nation events will be played in neutral venues, hence, Pakistan will play the whole T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka.