Pakistan, Bangladesh and ICC hold marathon talks over T20 World Cup India clash

Lahore (Web Desk): A high-stakes meeting unfolded on Sunday at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, bringing together the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh to address Pakistan’s announced boycott of its T20 World Cup clash with India on February 15.

Sources indicate that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) plans to seek guidance from the government to determine its official position on the proposed boycott.

The discussions, which stretched over five hours, concluded with both the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) exchanging proposals, while Pakistan served as the central mediator. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi held talks with ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja about the decision, with BCB President Aminul Islam present as well.

According to insiders, the ICC responded constructively to Bangladesh’s concerns, and a framework to resolve the BCB’s grievances has been drafted.

After the marathon session, Khwaja returned to ICC headquarters to obtain final approval, while Islam flew back to Dhaka to brief his government. Officials from both the ICC and BCB are expected to reconvene tomorrow afternoon to finalize the next steps.

At the same time, Naqvi is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif within the next two days to seek direction on Pakistan’s stance regarding the India match, with the prime minister expected to make the ultimate decision.

Earlier, Khwaja traveled to Lahore for talks after Pakistan announced its boycott, while BCB President Islam had visited Pakistan before that and conducted a separate meeting with Naqvi.

During their discussions, Islam expressed gratitude to Pakistan for supporting Bangladesh in its dispute with the ICC, and both leaders exchanged views on the ongoing crisis.

The tension traces back to Pakistan’s move to boycott the February 15 fixture, citing what it perceives as ICC’s partial approach, with Bangladesh playing a central role in the controversy.

The friction escalated after Bangladesh’s star pacer, Mustafizur Rahman, was dropped from the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the directive of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), drawing strong criticism in Dhaka.
Following this, the BCB requested the ICC to relocate its matches out of India, but the international body declined.

The ICC then replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, citing the impracticality of rescheduling so close to the February 7 start.

Meanwhile, the PCB has denied reports circulating in Indian media that it had offered to mediate with the ICC to resolve the boycott issue.