Shehbaz Sharif Mohsin Naqvi Suryakumar Yadav Salman Agha. Image Credits: X
In a significant development, there are reports that Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif is set to re-enter the ICC-PCB T20 World Cup 2026 saga and make a final call on Pakistan’s boycott against India on February 15 in Colombo.
The development has come a day after PCB and ICC held talks in Pakistan regarding the upcoming fixture, which the Mohsin Naqvi-led board has refused to feature in. For the unversed, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja met PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Lahore on Sunday, in the presence of BCB President.
In the latest events, a report from News18 stated that the ball is back in Pakistan PM’s court, who will hold a high-level meeting with his federal cabinet and take a call on whether Pakistan should play against India or not.
PCB puts 3 demands in front of ICC to reverse the boycott
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
The first demand by the PCB is to seek 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.
2. Resumption of the Bilateral series
India and Pakistan have not played a solitary bilateral series against each other since 2012-13. It has been 13 years and since then, the two teams have only met in ICC events because of geopolitical tensions. However, in an attempt to increase revenue, PCB has requested ICC to resume the bilateral series with India.
3. Resume Handshake
In the latest events, the PCB has asked ICC to tell India to revoke their no-handshake policy 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.
Why did PCB agree to initiate talks with ICC?
Pakistan were firm that they won’t play against India because of the ICC’s bias towards the hosts. The Jay Shah-led council kicked Bangladesh out of the World Cup, and it didn’t go well with the PCB, which wanted to stand up for their Asian counterpart.
Therefore, Pakistan government put out an official tweet confirming the boycott against India. Meanwhile, their PM confirmed the same on live television, which is making it even more difficult for Pakistan to reverse their decision, fearing global embarrassment for their top leadership.
Now, the reason why PCB agreed to a talk with ICC is that Mohsin Naqvi sought to initiate force Majeure which would have saved them from possible sanctions coming there way. However, the ICC refused Pakistan’s claims, citing selective withdrawal. Therefore, it sent a panic wave among the PCB, forcing them to initiate a dialogue with the ICC.
