Pakistan’s T20 World Cup participation in limbo as Naqvi awaits government approval

The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has indicated that Pakistan might pull out of the T20 World Cup, pending government approval. The PCB chairman spoke to the media after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the mega-event.

Bangladesh refused to play games in India

Bangladesh, who had refused to play their World Cup games in India citing security concerns, were warned by the ICC of an ouster in case they did not comply with the schedule. 

Three days after the deadline that the governing body gave Bangladesh to finalise their decision, Scotland were announced to be included in the tournament instead.

There had been reports in the Pakistan media that the board was considering skipping the World Cup if Bangladesh were removed. However, this is the first time any board representative has spoken openly about boycotting the World Cup.

"Our stance [on World Cup participation] will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me," Naqvi 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."

Naqvi accused ICC of having double standards

The row began after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed IPL franchise the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rehman. While no explanation was provided for the decision, it came amid tightened political relations between the two countries.

Naqvi accused the ICC of unfair treatment of Bangladesh, citing the governing body’s decision to shift India’s games for the 2025 Champions Trophy, after they refused to play in Pakistan.

"I think Bangladesh has been hard done by," he said. "You can't have double standards. You can't say for one country [India] they can do whatever they want while others are expected to do the complete opposite. That's why we've taken this stand, and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them. They should play in the World Cup, they are a major stakeholder in cricket."

The World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7, with Pakistan playing the Netherlands in the opening game. 

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