Khawaja Asif Jay Shah for ICC. Image Credits: X
Pakistan has once again decided to trigger India as their defense Minister, Khawaja Asif has accused India of holding ICC hostage amid Pakistan’s decision to boycott the India game in the T20 World Cup. The statement comes after Pakistan officially pulled out of the India game, but will take part in the remaining matches of the tournament.
According to CNN-News18, Asif blamed India for the World Cup fiasco and mentioned that Cricket is no longer a gentleman’s game as their neighbour has sacrificed it for business interest. Interestingly, this is not the first time Pakistan has accused India. Recently, PCB clearly stated that BCCI and ICC are doing an injustice to Bangladesh after the team was replaced by Scotland in the World Cup.
Why Khawaja Asif made this harsh statement about India
It all started when KKR, the IPL franchise, decided to release Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman from their team ahead of the 2026 season. The pacer was bought by KKR, but due to the ongoing turmoil going in Bangladesh, the franchise was advised to release the fast bowler.
This triggered a cold-war situation between the BCB-BCCI and the ICC as the Bangladesh Cricket Board decided not to send its players to India for the T20 World Cup, citing security reasons. As a result, the ICC decided to replace them with Scotland.
This is the main reason why Pakistan and its ministers have pointed fingers at India, stating that they are indirectly running the ICC.
Pakistan to boycott India clash in T20 World Cup
Even before the T20 World Cup schedule was announced, it was revealed that Pakistan would play all its matches in Sri Lanka, and an agreement was signed with the ICC. However, the PCB went against the agreement as they showed full support to Bangladesh, and on Sunday, the Pakistan government released a statement, saying that thet will boycott the India clash.
In an official statement posted, the government said that Pakistan will participate in the World Cup but will boycott the India clash. In response, ICC clapped back at the nation, stating that boycott was not in the interest of the global game or fans, including those in Pakistan.
With Pakistan not playing the match vs India, the Men in Blue will get the full two points without even walking out on the field.
Consequences Pakistan could face
With Pakistan going against the ICC and boycotting the T20 World Cup match against India, the nation could face severe consequences, and a final decision regarding the same could be released in a couple of days. The nation could face legal and disciplinary actions from the governing body.
ICC could impose heavy fines on Pakistan, and their premium T20 franchise league, PSL, could be affected as ICC might urge the boards not to issue NOCs to its players. Pakistan could be cut off from playing in bilateral matches, and their WTC points could be deducted.
Moreover, Pakistan could be barred from playing in future ICC events, which could severely dent their shares from the ICC revenue.
