- CPC Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to meet PM Shehbaz at 6 pm: sources
- The Prime Minister will decide on participation; jersey which will be revealed later.
- The PCB will organize a 4-team tournament in Lahore if the team does not participate.
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to decide today on the national team’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup, sources said on Sunday.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, the sources added, is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at 6 pm today, who will decide on the Green Shirts’ participation in the tournament.
The development follows reports of a potential boycott by Pakistan after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to move their matches out of India.
The BCB requested the change of venue after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was withdrawn from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the instructions of the Indian cricket board, triggering furore in Bangladesh.
However, the ICC replaced them with Scotland in Saturday’s showpiece event, saying it was not possible to change the schedule so close to the start of the tournament on February 7.
Bangladesh’s exclusion sparked reports of Pakistan’s possible withdrawal from the tournament.
PCB chief Naqvi had already held a meeting with the Prime Minister on January 26, during which the two discussed the pressing issue.
Meanwhile, sources say an announcement regarding the 2026 T20 World Cup is expected after the meeting between PCB chiefs and the Prime Minister today.
The decision to reveal the team’s World Cup jersey, postponed for “unavoidable reasons”, is also expected once the participation issue is resolved.
Furthermore, the PCB has prepared a plan in case of non-participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup.
A four-team tournament will be held in Lahore, the sources said.
The Pakistan and Shaheens Under-18 teams will be divided into four teams, they added.
Bangladesh-India tensions
Relations between Bangladesh and India have been strained in recent times, with political tensions between the two neighboring countries after former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following protests against her.
Political tensions have since spilled over into cricket.
Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman has been ruled out of this year’s Indian Premier League despite signing with his Kolkata franchise. Bangladesh responded by banning IPL broadcasts in the country and demanding that World Cup matches be played in Sri Lanka.
The standoff reflects previous tensions in South Asian cricket.
For the Champions Trophy last year, the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) maintained its policy of not traveling to Pakistan due to strained political ties between the bitter neighbors, who only play each other in ICC events.
As with the 2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan, a “hybrid model” was agreed under which India was allowed to play its Champions Trophy matches in Dubai to save the tournament.
Under the terms of the agreement valid until 2027, Pakistan will play at a neutral venue for any ICC event, including the T20 World Cup, where they are scheduled to play their matches in Sri Lanka.
