Pakistan team - (Source: X.com)
In a significant development, the much-awaited meeting between PCB head Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday, January 26 has concluded. Naqvi took to Twitter to confirm that the official decision regarding Pakistan's participation in T20 World Cup 2026 will be taken on Friday or Monday.
"Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday," tweeted Naqvi.
Pakistan to play T20 World Cup 2026, reports local media
A report from Geo News stated that Pakistan will play the entire tournament and have recieved the government's nod for it. Earlier, there were reports that PCB is contemplating between two options - Boycott entire event or just Indo-Pak match on February 15. But now, the neighouring country have reversed their earlier stance to support Bangladesh.
The meeting comes a day after PCB released Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026, which begins from February 7. In fact, the Men in Green will play their opening game of the tournament against the Netherlands.
What is the matter and why is Pakistan fighting with ICC?
It all started with Bangladesh’s issue with their matches in India. The tensions escalated between the two countries after the recent killing of Hindus in Bangladesh. The mishaps led to an uproar in India, following which Mustafizur Rahman, who was bought by KKR for IPL 2026, was released by the franchise.
In reply, BCB took the opportunity to hold ICC hostage and put a demand to shift their games outside India, citing security reasons. The ICC adhered to the request and followed its protocols by sending a delegate to Dhaka. After multiple rounds of talks and the security team’s assessment of no threat in India, the Jay Shah-led council handed a 24-hour deadline to Bangladesh to confirm travel to India or pull out.
Surprisingly, the BCB chose the latter as they rode on PCB’s backing, who too vowed to support Bangladesh if ICC kicks them out of the tournament. Now, since Scotland has officially replaced Bangladesh, PCB also felt the pressure to confirm its stance.
Therefore, after days of rumours and drama, the federal government has seemed to have given the green light to the Men in Green for the event.
Naqvi's tweet stirs controversy
Mohsin Naqvi has been actively involved in the recent development around Pakistan cricket, but his latest tweet has stired a controversy as he tagged the wrong PM. Notably, Pakistan's PM is Shehbaz Sharif and the PCB head has mentioned Nawaz Sharif in his mention.
The tweet has now spread like fire on the social media and it is likely that Naqvi takes his tweet down for the same reason, before posting a fresh correct message.
