The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written to the International Cricket Council (ICC), supporting the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (PCB) stance of not playing its matches in India amid ongoing political tensions in the region.
The move comes a day before the governing body is expected to take a final call on Bangladesh’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The PCB is understood to have copied members of the ICC board in its correspondence, supporting Bangladesh’s concerns about traveling to India at a time of regional instability.
The ICC has scheduled a board meeting on Wednesday to discuss the PCB’s request to shift Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka due to security concerns in India.
It is not clear whether the PCB’s communication led to the meeting being convened.
While the timing of the PCB’s intervention has raised eyebrows, it is unlikely to change the ICC’s stance.
The world body has so far remained committed to keeping the tournament schedule unchanged and expects Bangladesh to play its matches in India, an event co-hosted by Sri Lanka.
The BCB, with the support of the Bangladesh government, has refused to send the national team to India for group-level matches.
Despite several meetings between ICC and PCB officials – including the most recent discussions in Dhaka last weekend – neither side has changed its stance.
The ICC has insisted that the matches go ahead as planned, while the PCB has said it cannot travel to India.
January 21 was set as the deadline for the final decision, leaving less than three weeks before the start of the competition.
PCB’s late involvement follows a week of speculation regarding possible developments.
Unverified reports suggest that Pakistan may host Bangladesh’s matches or that the PCB is reviewing Pakistan’s own participation in the World Cup depending on how the situation unfolds.
However, PCB has not made any public comment on the matter.
The controversy started after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) advised Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad.
Although no official explanation has been given, deteriorating political relations between India and Bangladesh have been cited as a factor.
The move prompted the Bangladesh government to formally announce that the national team would not play its World Cup matches in India.
A senior PCB official made controversial comments about leading players while addressing the financial impact of withdrawing the World Cup, leading to unrest among players in Bangladesh and briefly affecting the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).