Naqvi shrouds uncertainty on Pakistan’s T20 WC participation following Bangladesh’s ouster from the T20 World Cup.
After PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated that a final decision would be made after consulting with Pakistan’s government, Pakistan’s participation in the forthcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has become questionable. Speaking soon after Bangladesh’s official exclusion from the T20 World Cup due to their reluctance to play in India, Naqvi called what happened to Bangladesh “an injustice” and accused the ICC of “double standards” favouring India.
“Our stance [on World Cup participation] will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me,” he said. “The Prime Minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I’ll be able to give you our final decision. It’s the government’s decision. We obey them, not the ICC.”
Pakistan has steadfastly backed Bangladesh in their conflict with the ICC over the last week or so, insisting that their T20 World Cup matches be held somewhere other than India. The PCB was reportedly the sole board to support the BCB’s position during an ICC meeting last week. Although Sri Lanka and India are co-hosting the competition, all of Bangladesh’s matches were slated to take place in India. However, Bangladesh has stated that it is no longer safe for them to play in India after the BCCI ordered the Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 roster on January 3.
The decision was issued in the midst of worsening ties between Bangladesh and India, despite the fact that no explanation was given. After consulting with the government, the BCB informed the ICC on January 4 that the Bangladeshi squad will not travel to India for its T20 World Cup matches because of security concerns. The BCB maintained this position throughout a number of subsequent conversations with the ICC.
Bangladesh’s appeal has been consistently denied by the ICC, and earlier this week they were given a deadline to accept the current schedule or risk being kicked out of the competition.
Naqvi was critical of the decision, calling it an injustice to Bangladesh. “I think Bangladesh has been hard done by,” he said. “You can’t have double standards. You can’t say for one country [India] they can do whatever they want and for the others to have to do the complete opposite. That’s why we’ve taken this stand, and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them. They should play in the World Cup, they are a major stakeholder in cricket.”
“If the government of Pakistan says we mustn’t play, then maybe the ICC will bring in a 22nd team (after Scotland). It’s up to the government.”