Pakistan to play India in T20 WC, reverses boycott after BCB's plea

BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul urged Pakistan to play its Feb 15 T20 World Cup match against India. Following meetings with the ICC, reports suggest Pakistan has reversed its earlier decision to boycott the match in solidarity with Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Monday urged Pakistan to play their February 15 ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash against India.

Pakistan Reportedly Reverses Boycott

The International Cricket Council's (ICC) official statement on this development is awaited. However, according to Geo News reports, Pakistan has decided to play its scheduled T20 World Cup match against India, reversing its earlier boycott decision. This comes after ICC held a meeting with the PCB and the BCB at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday to discuss Pakistan's decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match with India in Colombo.

BCB President's Formal Request

BCB President Md Aminul Islam said, "We are deeply moved by Pakistan's efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish."

"Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem," the BCB statement said.

Reason Behind Initial Boycott

Pakistan had earlier decided not to play against arch-rival India in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were removed from the tournament for citing security concerns.

As per a report from Dawn, ICC Deputy Chair Imran Khawaja advised the PCB to "move its case before the ICC arbitration committee or bring it up during the ICC board meeting, and end the boycott of the India-Pakistan match forthwith, as it was not good for cricket." The development comes after the official X handle of the Pakistan Government announced that the Men in Green would not take the field in the Feb 15 clash, and later Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif linked this boycott to the controversy with Bangladesh, citing it as a symbol of solidarity.

Controversy Over Bangladesh's Removal

Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup, as their request to have all their matches played outside India could not be agreed upon by the ICC, which they put in place because of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mustafizur Rahman being removed from the squad after instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid concerns related to atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

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