PCB halts T20 World Cup prep, supports Bangladesh's decision to not travel to India: Reports
New Delhi, January 20
Ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, the Pakistan Cricket Board have halted their team preparations for the marquee T20 event, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, after announcing its support for Bangladesh's decision to boycott playing in India, as per Geo News.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not issued any statement confirming this report.
Recently, Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) IPL 2026 squad on instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid ongoing minority atrocities in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate their matches to venues outside India, citing concerns about "safety and security" of their players.
Describing Bangladesh's security concerns as "reasonable and valid," Pakistan had on January 19 expressed full support for the BCB's decision to avoid travelling to India for their T20 World Cup matches,
According to Islamabad-based Geo News, the Pakistan team management has been asked to prepare a contingency plan in case Pakistan decides not to participate in the tournament. Pakistan, the media outlet reported, has further said that it will reconsider its participation in the T20 World Cup if the Bangladesh issue remains unresolved.
Further, PCB have also expressed willingness to host Bangladesh's T20 WC matches if venues in Sri Lanka were unavailable.
Meanwhile, the ICC is firm on not changing its original schedule where Bangladesh in placed in Group C with Italy, New Zealand, West Indies and Nepal.
Notably, the ICC and BCB have had two meetings, but the issue is yet to be resolved, with the T20 World Cup set to begin in just over two weeks .
As per ICC sources, the world's cricket governing body had earlier given an ultimatum to BCB to give their final decision on whether they will send the Bangladesh cricket team to India or not for the upcoming ICC World Cup by January 21. If the BCB refuses to send its team to India, the ICC is likely to name a replacement, and, as per the current rankings, it could be Scotland.
The T20 World Cup will start on February 7.
Bangladesh are scheduled to open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. They will next face Italy on February 9 at the same venue, then be pitted against the 2022 T20 World Cup champions, England, in Kolkata and will conclude their group-stage campaign with a clash against Nepal on February 17.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are clubbed with India, USA, Netherlands and Namibia in Group A and is scheduled to open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7. They are slated to play against India on February 15 at Colombo, Sri Lanka.
— ANI
Reader Comments
As a cricket fan living in India, I find this very disappointing. India has hosted so many international events safely. The BCCI releasing Mustafizur from KKR is their internal league decision. Using that to question security for a global ICC event feels like an excuse.
PCB supporting BCB is no surprise. They always find a way to create issues before an India-hosted tournament. If they don't want to come, fine. Scotland will get a chance. But the ICC should not bow to this pressure. The schedule was decided long back.
With all due respect to the concerns, I think this is an overreaction. Kolkata is one of the safest and most welcoming cities for cricket. Eden Gardens has hosted countless matches without incident. This feels more politically motivated than about actual player safety.
Honestly, if teams start pulling out, it devalues the World Cup. The fans are the ones who lose out. I was looking forward to seeing Bangladesh play, especially their match against West Indies. Hope good sense prevails and this gets resolved quickly.
The ICC needs to be firm here. You can't have boards making demands two weeks before the tournament. Either participate according to the schedule or forfeit. Simple. This sets a bad precedent for future events.
M We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.