T20 World Cup: Bangladesh asks Pakistan to play a match against India

Bangladesh has asked Pakistan to end its scheduled boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India, opening the door for the match to be played on February 15 as scheduled.

The match, the biggest and most lucrative in cricket, has been thrown into doubt since the Pakistan government advised its team not to take to the field against their long-time rivals.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the initial decision was taken to “support” Bangladesh, which rejected a request to move its matches outside India and subsequently withdrew from the tournament.

But after talks between officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Lahore on Sunday, BCB president Aminul Islam asked for the match to go ahead “in the interest of the entire cricket ecosystem”.

“We are deeply impressed by Pakistan’s efforts to do its best to support Bangladesh during this period. May our brotherhood flourish for a long time,” he added.

The match is scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India.

Pakistan will lose points from the group stage match if they do not play, but the team’s absence from the tournament will also have long-term consequences for cricket.

This could lead to disputes over the ICC’s current rights deals and continued uncertainty is likely to impact future agreements, with current TV deals set to expire after the 2027 World Cup.

Many small cricketing nations depend on funds distributed by the ICC, so any cut in revenue is likely to hit these countries hard.

“After my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and considering the upcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup match on February 15 against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem,” Islam said.

ICC and PCB have been contacted for comment.