New Delhi: Pakistan remain undecided regarding their participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 despite a meeting between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi and the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday. Naqvi, who is also the interior minister in Pakistan, met Sharif to discuss Pakistan’s T20 World Cup participation.
The meeting came amid reports that the PCB might consider pulling out of the T20 World Cup 2026 in protest after ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament. Bangladesh were removed from the T20 World Cup after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send the team to India for the tournament, citing security reasons.
“Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (Shehbaz Sharif). Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday,” Naqvi, whose account is withheld in India, wrote on X after the meeting.
Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 remains doubtful after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament. ICC’s move has reportedly not gone down well with Pakistan, and the country’s government reportedly might ask PCB to pull out of the tournament to extend solidarity with Bangladesh.
As per a report in Pakistan’s Geo News, the Pakistan government might deny permission to the PCB to field the Pakistan team in the tournament over ICC’s ‘stepmotherly treatment’ of Bangladesh. Some reports have also claimed that Pakistan are considering boycotting their marquee clash against India in the tournament as a mark of protest.
Pakistan announce squad for T20 World Cup despite boycott threats
Despite threatening a boycott to showcase support for Bangladesh, Pakistan announced their squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday. Pakistan released their 15-man squad for the tournament, which will be led by skipper Salman Ali Agha.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka, starting February 07. However, Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, after the PCB signed an agreement with the BCCI last year, under which both teams will not travel to each other’s countries in ICC tournaments till 2027.
India and Pakistan are set to lock horns in a much-awaited clash at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15 in the T20 World Cup 2026. However, it remains to be seen if the match will go ahead as per schedule amid reports of Pakistan’s potential boycott. Earlier, PCB chief Naqvi had said that any decision regarding Pakistan’s participation in the tournament will be taken by the Pakistani government.