Dramatic Twist In India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 'Boycott' Row, ICC Speaks To PCB

The India vs Pakistan match, often labelled as the cash cow of International Cricket Council (ICC) events, is back on the table, with a report suggesting that talks between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the top body to organise the match have begun. Pakistan, in a bid to express solidarity with Bangladesh over their removal from the T20 World Cup, announced the decision to boycott the India match on February 15. However, with the tournament's financial success depending upon this match, plenty of 'back channel' talks have been held to get Pakistan to change their stance.

According to a report in the Indian Express, Pakistan softened its stand on the matter once ICC conveyed the potential damages that they could claim from PCB if the team fails to show up for the India match. While Pakistan have labelled the situation as 'force majeure', the ICC explained that this specific situation doesn't qualify as one.

The sport's top governing body even asked the Pakistan board to demonstrate what it had done to mitigate it.

"The ICC will now engage in a structured manner to solve the problem; there would be a dialogue, not confrontation," an official said, as per the report. "Subsequent to the receipt of the formal communication from the ICC, PCB approached the international body to initiate further dialogue. ICC is currently engaging with the board in a structured manner to explore possible resolutions."

In its communication to the ICC, the PCB pressed the 'force majeure' clause, while citing the government's social media post on February 1 that instructed them to participate in the T20 World Cup but boycott the India game.

In reply, the ICC said that PCB was invoking force majeure 'without any further questions, explanation or justification.'

In the last few days, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has also written to the PCB, asking them to reverse their boycott stance as it would hurt the board's financial health.

"From the demand for tickets, it was evident that we were going to receive a huge boost economically, as people who turn up for the fixture will definitely spend a few more days exploring the country. So it is a huge loss for everyone. It is a grim picture," Bandula Dissanayake, Sri Lanka Cricket secretary, had said.

Replying to SLC's mail, the PCB said that it will speak to the Pakistan government over the matter and explore possible U-turn options.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Board International Cricket Council T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket