LAHORE: Bangladesh Cricket Board (PCB) president Aminul Islam has reached Pakistan to attend an emergency International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting, which is expected to take place almost today, sources told Geo Super on Sunday.
According to details, the global body is expected to convene an emergency meeting today via video link to address the uncertainty surrounding the blockbuster ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match between Pakistan and India after the 2009 champions were barred from taking the field by their central government.
Apart from Pakistan, other members of the Council including Bangladesh may also participate in this important meeting.
Insiders added that Islam will also meet his Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) counterpart Mohsin Naqvi and return to Bangladesh in the evening after attending the meeting.
Reports of an emergency ICC meeting come days after Indian media suggested that the world cricket governing body had begun exploring back-channel options to reconsider Pakistan’s position in the T20 World Cup 2026 against India.
ICC Vice-President Imran Khawaja has been entrusted with the responsibility of initiating informal talks with Pakistan over the issue.
Khawaja, representing the Singapore Cricket Association, has reportedly been tasked with trying to convince the PCB to agree to a high-level meeting.
Indian media also said that he has been asked to act as a mediator and initiate dialogue with the PCB to defuse tensions surrounding the match.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif called for the elimination of politics from sports as he supported the central government’s decision to bar the national team from fielding arch-rivals India in the 20-team mega event scheduled for February 7 to March 8.
The Prime Minister, while addressing the Union Cabinet, termed the government’s decision as “appropriate” and shared that it was taken after a collective and careful consultation in response to the politicization of sports.
He said that we have taken a clear stand that we will not play the match against India regarding the T20 World Cup.
He said that there should be no politics in sports. “We have taken this stand after careful deliberation,” he said, adding that it was an “appropriate decision”.
Sohail Imran
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