'Didn't Cancel': Report Provides Fresh Angle To Pakistan T20 World Cup 'Boycott' U-Turn
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi reiterated that Pakistan had no personal interests in the standoff with the ICC.
- Despite uncertainty regarding India-Pakistan clash, market experts remained optimistic about a reversal
- The T20 World Cup game will proceed as planned following Pakistan government's U-turn on its earlier stance
- "We canceled none of our pre-bookings," a report quoted a tournament ticket partner
India's T20 World Cup match against Pakistan will go ahead as planned, following the Government of Pakistan's U-turn on its decision to boycott the clash in Colombo on February 15. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi elaborated on their earlier stance, stating that their only motive was to secure some "respect" for Bangladesh. The controversy began after Bangladesh refused to travel to India for their group-stage games, citing security concerns.
Despite the ICC's assurance that there were no genuine security threats, Bangladesh remained firm in its stance, which eventually led to its ouster from the tournament. The ICC not only removed the team from the competition but also warned Bangladesh of financial and other implications.
In the aftermath, Pakistan extended its support to Bangladesh and even threatened to boycott the tournament.
Despite uncertainty over the India-Pakistan clash, market experts had remained optimistic about a reversal from the Government of Pakistan and the PCB.
"We cancelled none of our pre-bookings," a report in the Hindustan Times quoted a tournament ticket partner as saying.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Naqvi reiterated that Pakistan had no personal interests in the standoff with the ICC.
"We didn't keep any condition [in our negotiations] other than Bangladesh. Our only aim was to get Bangladesh some respect, to right the injustice that had been done to them," Naqvi said.
"You've seen whatever Bangladesh wanted-it's been accepted, and that's it," he added.Â
"We had no personal aim in this. They can say whatever they want, but our work was purely related to Bangladesh. That is what the government made its decision on. And when their demands were accepted, and it was acknowledged that they suffered an injustice, we decided to play again."
Following the meeting, ICC released a statement saying the BCB would not be sanctioned for Bangladesh's refusal to play their T20 World Cup matches in India and have also been awarded hosting rights for an ICC event between 2028 and 2031.
(With ANI Inputs)
India Cricket Team
Pakistan Cricket Team