Mohsin Naqvi with Shehbaz Sharif [Source: X]The Bangladesh fiasco now appears to have spilt over to Pakistan, as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi had earlier indicated that Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup would rest solely with the Pakistani government. According to recent reports from Pakistani local media outlet ARY News, Mohsin Naqvi is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister on Monday, after which a final decision on Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup will be taken. Mohsin Naqvi's meet with PM to decide Pakistan's fateMohsin Naqvi’s meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to determine the fate of Pakistan’s involvement in the T20 World Cup 2026. Although Pakistan announced their squad for the tournament less than 24 hours ago, this development has raised several questions and added a new layer of uncertainty. For the unaware, after Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the ICC event, the International Cricket Council removed them from the tournament and replaced them with Scotland. Before the final decision was made, Pakistan had openly supported Bangladesh’s stance of not playing matches in India and backed the proposal to shift all games to Sri Lanka. Notably, the PCB was the only cricket board to publicly stand alongside the Bangladesh Cricket Board in opposing Indian venues. Naqvi stands with Bangladesh, slams ICCNow, following the fallout between Bangladesh and the ICC, the Pakistan government is set to decide the future of Pakistan cricket in the T20 World Cup. Just a day earlier, Mohsin Naqvi reiterated that all decisions regarding Pakistan’s participation would be taken by the government. Mohsin Naqvi also accused the ICC of double standards and stated that the Pakistan government would stand shoulder to shoulder with Bangladesh in seeking justice over what he described as their unfair removal from the tournament. What will happen if Pakistan pull out?Pakistan could face serious consequences if they choose to withdraw from the mega event. A government-led decision to pull out could raise the threat of suspension from future ICC tournaments. While Pakistan do not face the same concerns as Bangladesh, given that they are scheduled to play all their group and knockout matches at a neutral venue in Sri Lanka, the PCB could still be subjected to heavy financial penalties for breaching contractual obligations with the ICC. With the situation still unfolding, everything now rests on the Pakistani government and how it chooses to handle the matter, as the decision could potentially determine whether Pakistan take part in the T20 World Cup 2026 or step away from the tournament. Scotland in, who will be Pakistan's replacement?Nevertheless, Bangladesh’s replacement, Scotland, have already informed the media about their imminent arrival in India. The team is fully prepared, and travelling to India to play the World Cup will not be an issue at all.In Pakistan’s case, if they decide to pull out of the tournament at the last moment, despite being scheduled to begin their campaign on the opening day, February 7, Uganda, the next team in the ICC rankings, will replace them. In such a scenario, the ICC would also be forced to reschedule fixtures and manage logistics, while rearranging several components to restructure the tournament accordingly.
