DUBAI – The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday released details of its discussions with the PCB and BCB.
According to the statement issued by the ICC, Bangladesh will not face any penalty for not participating in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
The ICC further stated that Bangladesh will also be given the opportunity to host an ICC event. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is scheduled to host an ICC event between 2028 and 2031.
It is worth noting that yesterday, in Lahore, the ICC held talks with the PCB and BCB regarding Pakistan’s potential boycott of the T20 World Cup match against India.
The discussions were held between ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, with BCB President Aminul Islam also in attendance.
Sources said the negotiations lasted more than five hours, with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi focusing on addressing grievances related to Bangladesh.
During the meeting, proposals were exchanged between the ICC and BCB, while the PCB acted as a liaison. Sources stated that the ICC responded positively to the BCB’s demands and developed a formula to resolve the issues Bangladesh had raised.
Following the discussions, Pakistan decided to play the scheduled T20 World Cup match against India on February 15, following a request from the President of Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board also requested Pakistan to play the match against India. In its statement, the BCB expressed special thanks to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi for his support and urged Pakistan to play the match in the interest of cricket.
Earlier, Pakistan had announced that it would not play the match against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, which had raised security concerns in India and requested that its World Cup matches be moved to Sri Lanka. The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request and instead included Scotland in the tournament in place of Bangladesh.
In response, Pakistan had refused to play the scheduled match against India on February 15.
Sources added that if the Pakistan–India T20 World Cup match had not been played, the ICC could have faced significant financial losses.
