PCB is considering protesting the ICC’s decision on Bangladesh’s ouster from the tournament.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday (January 26) to discuss the government's stand on T20 World Cup 2026 participation after Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament.
Following the meeting, Naqvi confirmed through social media that a final call is expected on either Friday (January 30) or Monday (February 2).
For the unversed, the ICC announced the decision to remove Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup last Saturday (January 24) after the BCB refused to travel to India.
Earlier this month, the BCB requested the ICC to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns in India. The apprehensions came following heightened tensions between the two countries and the release of Mustafizur Rahman by IPL franchise KKR on BCCI’s instructions.
However, the apex body turned down the request, saying no such verifiable threat existed while also citing the logistical difficulty of altering the tournament schedule so close to the event. Bangladesh maintained their stance and were later replaced by Scotland in the 20-team event.
According to reports, PCB is considering protesting the ICC’s decision on Bangladesh’s ouster, including the possibility of forfeiting its high-stake fixture against India on February 15 or withdrawing from the competition altogether.
Amid the ongoing saga, Pakistan’s former players have questioned the PCB chief for putting the country's cricketing future at stake by talking about potential withdrawal from the global showpiece.
Former Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez opined that PCB must send the national team for the T20 World Cup, while former PCB chairman Khalid Mahmood and secretary Arif Ali Abbasi believe Pakistan have no grounds to pullout of the tournament.
"I can understand Pakistan supporting Bangladesh, but what purpose will PCB achieve by not sending its team apart from spoiling relations with the International Cricket Council and member boards," Abbasi said.
"What about our relations with Sri Lanka? Obviously, Sri Lanka will suffer losses if Pakistan doesn't go as all our matches are in Sri Lanka, including matches with India," he added.
Mahmood said while PCB's stance was commendable, it must remain focused on serving Pakistan cricket.
"We have to remember that, except for Pakistan, no other cricket board supported the Bangladesh demand to move matches from India. I can understand the stance taken by the Bangladesh board, but it is also a fact that no one supported them in the ICC meeting," Mahmood said.
Former Test batter Mohsin Khan also urged the PCB to send the team for the World Cup. "We have issues with India, but we are playing all our matches in Sri Lanka. So then on what grounds will the PCB not send its team to the World Cup. It will be bad for our cricket," he remarked.
Former captains Inzamam ul Haq and Mohammad Yousuf cautioned that Pakistan need to keep everything in mind while taking a final decision.
"I personally would like to see Pakistan compete in the World Cup. We have some good players, and our cricket needs to see our team doing well in big events," Inzamam said.
Former Test cricketer Haroon Rasheed is confident that Pakistan will feature in the World Cup as there was not enough reason to boycott the tournament.
"We supported Bangladesh, which is a good thing. We took a principled stance, but now is also the time to look at our own cricket interests," he said.
(With PTI Inputs)