KARACHI: A final decision regarding the national team’s participation in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be taken by next week, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Monday.
PCB chief Naqvi, who is also the country’s home minister, met Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif today, which he described as “productive”.
Naqvi shared that Prime Minister Shebaz had instructed the International Cricket Council (ICC) to put all options on the table and resolve the matter, adding that a final decision would now be taken by Friday or next Monday.
“Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz had a fruitful meeting with Sharif. He briefed him on the ICC matter and he directed us to put all options on the table and resolve it,” Naqvi wrote in X.
“It was agreed that a final decision would be made on Friday or next Monday.”
Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 participation faces uncertainty after the ICC announced last week that it would replace Bangladesh with Scotland.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) took the decision earlier this month after Indian Premier League (IPL) owners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released veteran Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their squad on the orders of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
The two sides then engaged in several talks, but a solution was not reached, and earlier this week the ICC issued a 24-hour ultimatum, formally announcing that it would reject BCB’s petition, saying the schedule of the match would remain intact.
Amid the ongoing ICC-PCB tussle, sources suggest that 2009 champions Pakistan may also boycott the 2026 T20 World Cup if Bangladesh opts out.
comments