ICC initiates massive action against PCB for Pakistan's T20 World Cup boycott threat

ICC plans huge action against PCB [Source: X]

In a significant development, the ICC has called for immediate action to deal with PCB after the Pakistan government decided to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India. The apex cricketing body will reportedly hold a meeting in the next 48 hours to decide its plan of action if Pakistan doesn't hold back and actually withdraws from the high-profile encounter, set to be played on February 15. 

On Sunday, the Pakistani government issued an official statement, announcing that the national team players wouldn't take the field against arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup. The ICC, in its statement, demanded a formal response from the PCB and advised the board to take a pragmatic decision on the controversial stand-off. 

The entire story of Pakistan-ICC stand-off

The cricketing ties between India and Bangladesh worsened after the BCCI abruptly terminated Mustafizur Rahman's IPL 2026 contract following the mob lynching of a Bangladeshi Hindu citizen over religious remarks. The BCB escalated the matter and approached the ICC, demanding the relocation of Bangladesh's T20 World Cup matches from India. 

However, with a few days left for the T20 World Cup, the ICC outrightly dismissed BCB's demands, prompting the Bangladesh government to take an extreme step. Eventually, ICC had to replace Bangladesh with Scotland after the BCB failed to provide a concrete response regarding the country's participation in the showpiece event. 

Pakistan used the strained relations between India and Bangladesh to earn some brownie points. Although the Men in Green were anyway scheduled to play their matches in Sri Lanka, the PCB stood with Bangladesh in solidarity, accusing the ICC of biased decision-making in India's favour. 

Despite announcing a star-studded squad, the PCB deliberately took a long time to decide whether Pakistan would participate in the T20 World Cup. On Sunday evening, the Pakistan government finally broke silence on the matter, allowing the team to play the tournament but with a twist. 

While the government announced that Pakistan would pull out of its group stage match against India, the PCB didn't convey the same to the ICC. As a result, the ICC had to pull up its socks and take strict action to maintain its sovereignty among the cricketing fraternity. 

ICC to decide Pakistan's fate in next 48 hours

According to NDTV, the ICC is planning to hold an urgent meeting to plan the further course of action to counter Pakistan's threat. So, there are high chances that Pakistan may be isolated from global cricket if it maintains its stance of boycotting the India game. 

It's worth mentioning that Pakistan is bound to play against India as a part of an agreement it signed last year. The agreement states that India and Pakistan will face each other in neutral venues if either hosts a global ICC event until 2027. 

So, if the Pakistan government doesn't allow its team to play against India, the ICC will impose severe sanctions and even ban Pakistan from the Asia Cup for violating the agreement. 

Will Pakistan boycott knockout matches against India?

Notably, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has clarified that Pakistan wouldn't withdraw if it faces India in the T20 World Cup. However, the ICC maintains its stance against selective withdrawal; so, Pakistan may actually be excluded from the showpiece event.