After reports of Bangladesh’s ouster from the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, a shocking development has emerged around Pakistan’s participation in the event. The Pakistan Cricket Board (BCB) is the sole supporter of Bangladesh in their fight with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Big twist in T20 World Cup row: Pakistan may follow Bangladesh’s path
After backing the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) decision not to play their T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India due to security concerns, the PCB has decided to take an unexpected decision to show their support to the neighbouring country in the ongoing row.
On January 24, the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, made it clear that the final decision on Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 will not be decided solely by the board.
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Naqvi, the Interior Minister of Pakistan, said that the Pakistani government will decide whether the national cricket team will take part in the global tournament.
PCB leaves T20 World Cup 2026 decision to the Pakistan Govt
The PCB chief’s statement comes after Scotland was reportedly confirmed by the ICC as Bangladesh’s replacement in the upcoming showpiece event in India and Sri Lanka.
Mohsin Naqvi was quoted as saying by a senior Pakistani journalist, “The Pakistan government will decide the Pakistan team’s participation in the T20 World Cup.”
“Bangladesh is being treated unfairly. We said this at the ICC board meeting, that the ICC cannot have double standards, one system for one team and a different one for another. Bangladesh should play in the World Cup,” Mohsin Naqvi added.
Government interference puts Bangladesh and Pakistan in ICC danger zone
Meanwhile, this situation could turn serious for both Bangladesh and Pakistan. The ICC has a long history of taking action against cricket boards when their governments get directly involved in team decisions. In the past, Zimbabwe and the West Indies have faced the bans due to the same issue.
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For decades, ICC rules have clearly said that national boards must work independently, without political control. But on Saturday, Bangladesh’s government sports advisor, Asif Nazrul, openly admitted that the decision not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026 was taken by the government, not the cricket board.
This stand had already breached the ICC’s policy. Now, Pakistan has added fuel to the fire. The PCB chairman has openly said that Pakistan’s government will decide whether the team plays in the T20 World Cup. With both PCB and BCB bringing governments into cricket matters, the ICC is likely to take strong action to stop this growing influence in the game of cricket.
ICC replaces Bangladesh with Scotland for T20 World Cup 2026
The global body is already in action, as they have replaced Bangladesh with Scotland at the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 following nearly three weeks of negotiations with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over its refusal to send their team to India due to security concerns.
It is being said that the ICC sent the BCB an email on Friday, January 23, informing them of the decision, after they communicated that the Bangladesh government had not granted permission to play in India. However, there is no official announcement made yet.
As reported by Cricbuzz, Scotland is all set to place alongside England, the West Indies, Nepal, and debutant Italy in Group C for the upcoming tournament, with matches scheduled in Mumbai and Kolkata.
