Pakistan's T20 WC decision 'on Friday or next Monday'
Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Mohsin Naqvi on Monday said he had briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the “International Cricket Council (ICC) matter”, adding that a final decision would be taken either on Friday or next Monday.
According to a handout issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Naqvi met the prime minister in Islamabad earlier in the day, Pakistani media reported.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. “During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed on the recent developments involving the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) concerning the T20 World Cup,” the handout said.
Naqvi later wrote on X that Shehbaz had instructed officials to resolve the issue while keeping all options open. “It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday,” he said.
The meeting came amid reports that Pakistan could consider a boycott after the ICC rejected the BCB’s request to move Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.
Bangladesh sought the venue change following the removal of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the instructions of the Indian cricket board, a move that triggered strong reactions in Bangladesh.
However, the ICC announced on Saturday that Bangladesh had been replaced by Scotland in the tournament, citing logistical challenges in altering the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the event.
In a statement, the ICC said the decision was taken after it found no “credible or verifiable security threat” to the Bangladesh national team in India.
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