The Pakistan Cricket Board has extended its support to the BCB and has backed its decision not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup. After the extended backing, BCB, in a fresh statement, has issued a clear warning of a walkover to the ICC if they are forced to play in India.
The Indo-Bangladesh controversies have taken a new turn with the PCB having the back of the Bangladesh Cricket Board following their revolt against the PCB’s longtime rivals, the BCCI. Mohsin Naqvi has been a constant threat to BCCI’s smooth operations and has not spared in challenging the ICC.
Bangladesh opting not to play in India would complicate the issues and would potentially strain the relationship between the two boards. The India tour to Bangladesh would also be cancelled if such situations escalate.
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BCB gets massive backing from Mohsin Naqvi’s PCB amid T20 World Cup turmoil
In their waged war against the Indian board, BCCI, and their actions, the BCB has received extensive backing from the hands of the Pakistan Cricket Board. The PCB’s issues with the BCCI have been escalating since the Champions Trophy, when they denied travelling to Pakistan despite several attempts to convince the Men in Blue to travel to the nation.
The Pakistan board then signed a deal with the BCCI, according to which they would play their matches in neutral venues and neither team would travel to each other’s territory. Now, the PCB has extended its backing to the BCB.
They have also assured the Bangladesh Cricket Board of speaking to the ICC, supporting their appeal to shift the matches to Sri Lanka.
BCB director issues ultimatum of walkover if forced to play in India
After the ICC had asked the BCB to reconsider their decision and had assured additional security to all players and the support staff who travel to India during the T20 World Cup, BCB director Asif Akbar has issued a public statement, which simply warns them of a walkover in the ICC T20 World Cup if the match venues are not altered.
“If we are forced to play in India, we will walk over. We are ready to play in Sri Lanka instead,” Asif Akbar said.
“We have already made our position clear. That option is no longer open for us. Considering the Mustafizur issue and concerns related to our players, we remain negative about playing in India. However, we are ready to play in Sri Lanka,” he added.
Asif Akbar (BCB Member) :
“If we are forced to play in India, we will walk over. We are ready to play in Sri Lanka instead.”#T20WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/F4lC35jRtO
— Raisul Rifat (@raisul_rifat88) January 7, 2026
BCB is still awaiting ICC’s response before a final verdict on the T20 World Cup
In a recent report from ESPNcricinfo, it was revealed that the ICC has issued an ultimatum to the BCB, saying that they either need to travel to India for the World Cup or they should be ready to risk points.
However, the BCB official statement clearly said that no such ultimatum has been issued, and they are awaiting any response from the end of the ICC before giving their final verdict on the matter.
“Since the ICC is the guardian of world cricket, we will inform our next course of action after receiving their response,” Asif added in his statement.
