By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been formally briefed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the outcomes of high-level consultations involving the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
According to a Prime Minister’s Secretariat press release, the Government of Pakistan reviewed formal requests submitted by the BCB, along with supporting communications from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member nations. These correspondences urged Pakistan to play a leadership role in finding a workable solution to the recent challenges facing international cricket.
The government also took note of remarks made by BCB President Amin ul Islam.
“The profound gratitude expressed by our brotherly nation is received with great warmth. Pakistan reaffirms that it stands shoulder to shoulder with Bangladesh,” the statement said.
Earlier this evening, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation with Sri Lankan President H.E. Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During their cordial exchange, both leaders recalled the longstanding tradition of mutual support between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, particularly during difficult times. President Dissanayake requested the Prime Minister to give serious consideration to resolving the current impasse through amicable means.
In light of the outcomes of multilateral discussions and the appeals from friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan has directed the Pakistan national cricket team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
The decision, the statement added, reflects Pakistan’s commitment to safeguarding the spirit of cricket and ensuring the continuity of the global game across all participating nations.
The Prime Minister and the people of Pakistan extended their best wishes to the “Men in Green,” expressing confidence that the team will uphold sportsmanship and national pride as they compete for global glory.
Earlier on Sunday Aminul Islam had visited Lahore and had held a detailed meeting with the PCB chairman and then also attended the meeting involving Mohsin Naqvi and ICC Deputy chairman Imran Khawaja who had specifically rushed to Punjab capital to convince Naqvi that they should end their boycott of India match as it would hit hard both ICC and the World Cup.
In the meeting with Khawaja PCB chief Naqvi had stressed that Bangladesh should be compensated for the huge loss after they were denied their due right to feature in the ICC T20 World Cup.
Khawaja assured that every effort would be made to compensate BCB.
The ICC Executive Board had voted 14-2 against BCB request that their World Cup matches should be relocated from India to Sri Lanka due to security issues.
Pakistan had voted Bangladesh in that meeting. ICC set a deadline for BCB to finalise whether they want to feature in the World Cup in India or not. Bangladesh government was firm, saying that it cannot allow its team to visit India due to security issues.
ICC then announced that Scotland would replace Bangladesh in the global event.
Naqvi had strongly criticized the ICC for double standards, casting a shadow over Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup.
ICC tasked Imran Khawaja to engage in dialogue with Naqvi as boycotting the entire World Cup would damage the global event beyond repair.
Pakistan’s government, following a few meetings of Naqvi with the premier Shahbaz Sharif, announced on February 1 through a social media statement that Pakistan would feature in the World Cup but it would not play against India its Group A game in Colombo on February 15.
ICC kept chasing PCB and eventually also sent its senior official Imran Khawaja to Lahore on Sunday who held a marathon meeting with the PCB chairman. In the meeting BCB chief Aminul Islam was also present. And the diplomatic struggle eventually resolved the entire deadlock that had put the World Cup in danger.
