BCB Chief in Pakistan for ICC Talks on India Match Boycott Crisis

During the BCB chief's stay in Pakistan, Aminul Islam will attend an emergency ICC meeting scheduled to be held later today, with other board members also expected to participate, the sources added.

According to Geo News, Islam will also meet the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi before departing for Dhaka.

An ICC delegation led by its Deputy Chairman is also likely to arrive in Pakistan later today. The delegation is expected to hold discussions with PCB officials regarding Pakistan's boycott of the high-profile group-stage match against India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be played on February 15 in Sri Lanka.

The development comes after the official X handle of Pakistan announced that the Men in Green would not take the field in the Feb 15 clash, and later Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif linked this boycott to the controversy with Bangladesh, citing it as a symbol of solidarity.

Bangladesh was removed from the tournament and replaced by Scotland, as their wish to have all their matches played outside India could not be agreed upon by the ICC, which they put in place because of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mustafizur Rahman being removed from the squad after instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid concerns related to atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the ICC is understood to have asked the PCB to demonstrate what it had done to mitigate the 'Force Majeure' event, as it is needed by the Members Participation Agreement (MPA).

Also, ICC is believed to have conditions in detail under which 'Force Majeure' can be invoked legimately and the evidentiary threshold needed for non-participation in the tournament, sporting, commercial and governance implications of such a step.

ICC informed PCB of the potential material damage the former could incur if the match does not go ahead. The global governing body does not want any confrontation, but under their constitution, they are allowed to go ahead with suspension/termination of a membership if there is a massive breach of obligations supposed to be fulfilled.

PCB also believes that if the matter becomes contentious, they have a strong case because there is a reference to an old PCB-BCCI dispute that reached the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) regarding a bilateral series.

It was about BCC allegedly failing to honour a 2014 MoU between the two boards to play six bilateral series between 2013 and 2015. PCB lost their claim for damages but believes the Indian government's refusal to grant BCCI permission to proceed with the series sets a precedent for them, according to ESPNCricinfo.

At present, both sides are engaged in back-channel discussions, with ICC directors Imran Khwaja and Mubashir Usmani continuing dialogue with the PCB to resolve the impasse. Neither the ICC nor the PCB has issued an official statement on the matter so far.

- ANI