India game boycott standoff: ICC, PCB marathon meeting ends

By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: In an effort to resolve the standoff over Pakistan’s boycott of the February 15 match against India, International Cricket Council (ICC) Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja held detailed talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday night.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief and former Test cricketer Aminul Islam was also present at the marathon meeting lasted for around four and a half hours.
Khawaja rushed to Lahore to persuade the PCB chief to reconsider the boycott decision, saying that Pakistan’s India game boycott would result in huge financial losses for the ICC and significantly damage the World Cup.
Sources said the sole focus of the marathon meeting between Khawaja and Naqvi was Pakistan’s participation in the India match scheduled for next Sunday. Naqvi stressed that how Bangladesh would be compensated for their removal from the World Cup?
According to sources, the ICC has responded positively to the demands of the Bangladesh Cricket Board and has prepared a formula to compensate for the injustice done to Bangladesh.
Naqvi will brief Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after which the final decision will be made by the government. The PCB chairman is likely to meet the prime minister today.
It will be seen how ICC compensates Bangladesh.
Earlier, Imran Khawaja, was received at Allama Iqbal International Airport by senior officials of the PCB. This was not the first interaction between the two as the ICC had already tasked Khawaja with engaging Naqvi after the PCB chairman had cast doubt over Pakistan’s participation in the ongoing T20 World Cup a few weeks ago. Khawaja had also met Naqvi during the latter’s recent state visit to the UAE.
Khawaja enjoys strong relations with the PCB and is widely respected as a senior administrator within the ICC.
The ICC Executive Board had rejected Bangladesh’s request by a 14-2 majority to relocate its World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns. Pakistan had voted in favour of Bangladesh. Bangladesh’s removal had angered Naqvi, who later criticized the ICC for what he termed “double standards.”
Naqvi argued that Bangladesh is an equal ICC member, just like India and Pakistan. Under the hybrid model agreed upon until 2027, India plays its matches in the UAE when it refuses to tour Pakistan while Pakistan plays in Sri Lanka. However, Bangladesh was excluded from the World Cup after raising security concerns over touring India and was replaced by Scotland, an outcome Naqvi described as a grave injustice to a cricket-mad nation with immense potential.
Following the ICC decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board was given an ultimatum to confirm whether it would participate in the World Cup in India. But Bangladesh government’s stance was firm, saying it cannot send its team to India for World Cup.
Earlier, on the advice of the BCCI, Kolkata Knight Riders had terminated a $1 million contract with Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the IPL.
Overall, Pakistan’s decision to boycott the India match has significantly increased its leverage, forcing the ICC leadership to travel to Pakistan to seek a review of the decision, an indication of the gravity of the situation and Pakistan’s growing influence in the matter.
According to sources between 10,000 and 15,000 cricket fans from across the world were expected to travel to Colombo to witness the high-profile Pakistan-India clash.
Hotel bookings had already been made but reports suggest that several reservations were cancelled after Pakistan announced the boycott on February 1 through a special government post. The decision was taken by the Government of Pakistan.
Cricket Sri Lanka has formally written to the PCB requesting a review of the boycott decision, stating that it would cause major financial losses and negatively impact Sri Lanka’s tourism industry, which has been recovering since the 2022 economic meltdown. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) has also urged the PCB to reconsider its stance.
The next few hours are very important as any kind of decision is expected.