Pakistan's U-Turn: Boycott Ends After Bangladesh Gains "Respect" from ICC

Pakistan had announced an earlier boycott of the much-anticipated match against India; however, on Monday, the Government of Pakistan reversed its decision and directed its national cricket team to take the field on February 15 for their scheduled fixture in Colombo.

"We didn't keep any condition [in our negotiations] other than Bangladesh. Our only aim was to get Bangladesh some respect, to right the injustice that had been done to them," Naqvi told reporters in Peshawar on Tuesday, as per ESPNcricinfo.

"You've seen whatever Bangladesh wanted, it's been accepted, and that's it," Naqvi said. "We had no personal aim in this. They can say whatever they want, but purely, our work was only related to Bangladesh. That is what the government took a decision on. And when their demands were accepted, and it was acknowledged that they suffered an injustice, then we have decided to play again."

Pakistan had previously decided to boycott their group-stage World Cup match against arch-rivals India in support of Bangladesh, which was expelled from the tournament after the ICC rejected its request to shift match venues outside India due to "security concerns".

Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup, after their request to have all their matches played outside India could not be agreed upon by the ICC, which they put in place after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid concerns related to atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

After the International Cricket Council (ICC) held a meeting with the PCB and the BCB at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday to discuss Pakistan's decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match with India in Colombo, BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Monday also urged Pakistan to play their February 15 ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash against India.

BCB President Md Aminul Islam said, "We are deeply moved by Pakistan's efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish."

"Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem," the BCB statement said.

Following the meeting, ICC released a statement saying the BCB would not be sanctioned for Bangladesh's refusal to play their T20 World Cup matches in India and have also been awarded hosting rights for an ICC event between 2028 and 2031.

- ANI