India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match on track as Mohsin Naqvi begins talk with Jay Shah

India vs Pakistan - (Source: X.com)

The T20 World Cup 2026 has officially begun, and still Pakistan are firm on their stance to not play against India on February 15 in Colombo. However, in a significant development, efforts are underway between PCB and ICC and PCB might soon reverse their decision.

A report from Cricbuzz, stated that right after the World Cup commenced on February 7, the PCB started a dialogue with ICC, where they invoked Force Majeure (FM) clause to escape possible sanctions coming their way.

ICC rejects PCB's force Majeure claim

However, in the latest events, the ICC has replied to the PCB and an official dialogue is underway. The Jay Shah-led council has asked Mohsin Naqvi to prove how can they impose the force Majeure claim to escape sanctions.

The ICC has also reminded PCB that in the absence of a valid reason they will invite serious sanctions.

What is force majeure claim?

For the unaware, a force majeure clause is a contract provision that can allow a party to be excused from fulfilling its obligations due to unforeseeable and uncontrollable events, rendering performance impossible, not just difficult.

Pakistan attempted to use this clause as a safety net to protect itself from liability for breaches arising from its role as a co-signer to the ICC agreement. However, there are several flaws in Pakistan’s potential force majeure defence.

PCB puts 3 demands to ICC

Meanwhile, a report from Telecom Asia Sport stated that the PCB have also listed three demands, following which the board would be ready to revoke their boycott against India for the T20 World Cup 2026.

1. Higher Revenue from ICC

For the unversed, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is currently locked in back-channel discussions with ICC’s deputy chairman Imran Khwaja to end the deadlock. The first demand by the PCB is to have higher revenue from the ICC.

PCB currently receives USD 34.5 million from the ICC’s annual revenue pool, the fourth-highest share behind India, England, and Australia.

“There has long been an opinion among cricket administrators that since Pakistan is a vital cog in the highest money-generating match, they should receive more funding."

2. Resumption of the Bilateral series

Notably, India and Pakistan have not played a solitary bilateral series against each other since 2012-13. It has been 13 years since the two teams have met in ICC events because of geopolitical tensions. But now, in an attempt to increase the revenue, PCB has asked ICC to resume the bilateral series with India.

“Other than the revenue increase, Pakistan is also trying to convince the ICC to mediate with the BCCI to resume bilateral ties," the source said.

Although it is worth noting that resuming the bilateral series is not in ICC’s hands. Only the BCCI and the Indian government can resume the bilateral series.

3. Resume Handshakes

The Asia Cup 2025 was the first tournament where India and Pakistan met after operation Sindoor. As a respect and tribute to the Indian army, Indian players refused handshake with Pakistani cricketers. It led to a big controversy. 

The PCB even thought of boycotting the event and were almost on their way back home. However, the matter was resolved, but India continued with their no-hanshake policy across formats. In the latest events, the PCB has asked ICC to tell India to revoke their no-handshake thing for future events.

“Pakistan is also likely to convey that Indian players should stick to the ethical demands of the game and must shake hands with Pakistan players to keep the spirit of the game, which ICC has always stressed upon," the source said.

Both PCB and ICC have very little time to find a solution, because if Pakistan fail to show up for the February 15 match, then India will be rewarded with two points and the match will be considered as a forfeit from Pakistan, who barely managed a win over the Netherlands in the opening match of the T20 World Cup 2026.