Mohsin Naqvi Breaks Silence After Meeting With Pakistan PM On T20 World Cup Row
This announcement follows a high-level meeting between Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday afternoon to discuss the government's official stance.
- The final call on Pakistan's participation in T20 World Cup 2026 will be made on either Friday or next Monday
- This announcement follows a high-level meeting between PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif
- "PM directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table," Naqvi announced on social media
The final call on Pakistan's participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 will be made on either Friday (January 30) or next Monday (February 2), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Monday. This announcement follows a high-level meeting between Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday afternoon to discuss the government's official stance. It has been widely reported that Pakistan is considering a withdrawal from the tournament to show solidarity with Bangladesh, who were removed from the showpiece event last week after refusing to travel to India.
Several media reports have also reported that while Pakistan might not boycott the entire event, they might not play against arch-rivals India, scheduled to be played in Colombo on February 15.
However, Naqvi revealed that the final call on the matter is likely to be taken by next Monday.
"Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday," Naqvi posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Naqvi's comments follow the ICC's official removal of Bangladesh from the marquee tournament after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to play matches in India. ICC have replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, who have accepted the invitation for the tournament starting February 7.
Pakistan on Sunday named Salman Ali Agha-led 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. During the meeting, Naqvi briefed the players about the PCB's policy on the issue of Bangladesh being excluded from the T20 World Cup because of their unwillingness to travel to India because of security concerns.
Later in a statement the PCB said the players backed the principled stance of the board to support Bangladesh.
Pakistan Cricket Team