In a move that altered the course of cricket diplomacy, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) received certain concessions from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after agreeing to end their boycott of the T20 World Cup match against India. The specifics of these concessions will only be disclosed after the tournament concludes, as confirmed by sources within PCB.
An insider from PCB mentioned to PTI that the agreements between ICC and PCB will be revealed post-World Cup. Meanwhile, ICC clarified on Monday that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will not face any sanctions despite declining to play in India, and will be awarded the hosting of an ICC tournament (potentially the Under-19 Men's World Cup) during the 2028-2031 cycle.
Historically, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced a boycott of the February 15 T20 World Cup group match between India and Pakistan in Colombo, backing Bangladesh, which withdrew from the tournament due to security concerns over playing in India.
According to sources, discussions occurred at multiple levels, including interventions by Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, back-channel negotiations, and appeals from the Bangladesh Cricket Board. BCB urged Pakistan to reconsider for broader interests.
Another source revealed that a call from the Sri Lankan President and briefings from Pakistan’s high-ranking government officials significantly influenced the decision to end the boycott. Following this, PCB was also given the green light to participate should a rematch against India occur in the knockout or later stages of the tournament.
Sources confirmed that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who also serves as the chief patron of PCB, was informed of the potential repercussions of issuing an official notice against playing India.
Details of PCB and ICC Talks Will Remain Unpublished
Another insider claimed a clear understanding between ICC and PCB head Mohsin Naqvi that details of discussions involving PCB, BCB, and other boards will not be made public at this time.
While there were speculations about Naqvi demanding an increase in PCB’s revenue share from ICC, sources clarified such a decision would only materialize following the approval of ICC's next financial cycle.
During discussions, Naqvi also questioned why India and Pakistan should refrain from playing home-away matches at neutral venues in the World Test Championship when they regularly face off in ICC’s white-ball events. However, a complication lies in the fact that the WTC final is the only ICC tournament of its direct jurisdiction, while all other Test series are bilateral, with ICC merely assigning points.
