Talks with ICC drag on as PCB questions India’s influence
• Mohsin Naqvi meets ICC deputy chair, BCB president
• PCB chief to brief PM Shehbaz on final decision
• Council urges Pakistan board to raise case within ICC, drop boycott
LAHORE: The International Cricket Council’s (ICC) dialogue with Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket boards was still in progress until late in the night on Sunday over Pakistan’s threatened boycott of its ICC T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for Feb 15.
The meeting, held at the Gaddafi Stadium, was attended by ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam.
None of the parties spoke to the media, in line with a PCB announcement made ahead of the talks.
According to video clips released by the PCB, Imran Khawaja hugged the PCB chairman before the meeting began but only exchanged a handshake with Mr Islam.
Sources in the PCB told Dawn the board raised concerns during the meeting about political influence in ICC affairs, stressing that India’s role and the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) influence over ICC decisions were excessive and unacceptable to Pakistan.
The sources said the ICC deputy chairman advised the PCB to move its case before the ICC’s arbitration committee or in the council’s board meeting and urged Pakistan to call off the boycott as it would be damaging for the sport.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi was expected to brief Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who will take the final decision on whether Pakistan play the match.
The sources added that the PCB was also expected to raise concerns with the ICC delegation over the non-sportsmanship attitude of India, including the absence of customary handshakes during matches and refusal to take the Asia Cup trophy from Mr Naqvi — who was also the Asian Cricket Council chairman — because he was a Pakistani.
Sunday’s high-level visits come a day after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup commenced, as the 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by the acrimonious political build-up over Bangladesh’s refusal to play in India citing security concerns, which led to their replacement by Scotland.
After mulling its stance over the arising situation, Pakistan gave its cricket team the nod to participate in the World Cup but said the Green Shirts would not play their match with arch-rivals India, scheduled to be held in Colombo this coming Sunday.
In response, the ICC had said this position of “selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule”.
It expressed the hope that the PCB would consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this was likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which the PCB is itself a member and beneficiary of.
“The ICC’s priority remains the successful delivery of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which should also be the responsibility of all its members including the PCB. It expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders,” it stated.
Earlier this week, it was reported that ICC had initiated back-channel efforts to resolve the issue and avoid significant financial losses.
The Sri Lankan cricket board has also asked Pakistan to reconsider the decision to boycott the match with India.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told the PCB that a boycott would result in a financial hit and also hurt the island’s tourism industry, which is still recovering from the 2022 economic meltdown.
Pakistan, who edged out the Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match, and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate.
Skipper Salman Agha has said they would again consult the government in case Pakistan were to face India in a semi-final or final.
Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2026