T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan will take a decision on boycott by early next week

A decision on whether Pakistan will boycott next month’s men’s T20 World Cup is set to be made by early next week.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi held talks with the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday to discuss their participation in light of Bangladesh’s withdrawal.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh with Scotland on Saturday in the tournament hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

Naqvi said in a post on X, external He held a “productive meeting” with Sharif, where he “informed him about the issue of the International Criminal Court.”

“he [Sharif] “We ordered it to be resolved while keeping all options on the table,” Naqvi said.

“It has been agreed that the final decision will be made either Friday or next Monday.”

BBC Sport has learned that in addition to a complete boycott of the tournament, Pakistani officials are considering boycotting their match against India.

Pakistan is scheduled to play India in the T20 World Cup in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on February 15 as per an agreement signed last year that stipulates that the two countries will play at neutral venues when one of them hosts an ICC event.

Political tensions mean the two countries have not faced each other outside of major men’s tournaments since 2013, while India have not played in Pakistan since 2008.

The International Criminal Court has been contacted for comment.

Pakistan’s response comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested that World Cup matches be moved from India due to safety concerns.

There have been growing tensions between the countries and Bangladesh have requested that their matches be played in Sri Lanka, co-hosting the tournament, instead.

The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request, saying there was “no real security threat” before the Brazilian central bank confirmed its position.

BBC Sport has learned that Pakistan supported Bangladesh’s position at the emergency meeting of the ICC’s governing body held last Wednesday.

In a statement issued last Saturday, announcing the decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, the ICC said that it “engaged with the Brazilian Central Bank through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner.”

The ICC statement added: “In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader ramifications, the ICC has decided that it is not appropriate to amend the schedule of published events.”

The ICC also said it was careful not to create “precedents that could undermine the impartiality and impartiality of court proceedings.”

This month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India asked Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman due to political tensions.