ICC rejects Pak’s demands for tri-series with B’desh, bilateral with India
New Delhi: Pakistan’s threat to boycott its marquee T20 World Cup group-stage match against India has moved to a decisive endgame after a marathon round of talks involving the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council, with the global body rejecting several key Pakistani demands and giving PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi 24 hours to secure clearance from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of a final call expected early this week. The February 15 fixture in Colombo, widely described as the most commercially valuable game in world cricket and estimated to generate around Rs 2,200 crore in direct revenue and far more if broader economic factors are included, has been plunged into uncertainty since Islamabad initially withheld permission for its team to play, a stance now under active reconsideration after pressure from multiple cricket boards.
Sunday’s five-hour meeting in Lahore brought together Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja and BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul, who travelled specially for the discussions. The talks followed Pakistan’s February 1 announcement on social media that its team would not play India, a decision Sharif later said was intended as a show of solidarity with Bangladesh and a protest against what he termed ICC favouritism.
The PCB tabled five demands before the ICC. The first, that Bangladesh should not be financially penalised for pulling out of the tournament, had already been addressed by the ICC independently, with the board set to receive its full revenue share. The second sought a compensatory global event for Bangladesh after last year’s Women’s T20 World Cup was shifted from Dhaka to Dubai due to civil unrest, with Pakistan suggesting the next cycle’s Under-19 World Cup as a possible alternative. Sources indicated the ICC could be open to that proposal.
Three other demands were rejected outright. Pakistan pressed for India to resume bilateral cricket, proposed an India-Pakistan-Bangladesh tri-series, and urged the ICC to facilitate an Indian tour of Bangladesh later this year for a postponed 2025 series. The ICC made clear that bilateral or trilateral arrangements fall outside its jurisdiction, even within the World Test Championship framework.
According to a PCB source, Naqvi is now expected to brief Sharif on Monday about his communications with the ICC, as well as with the Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Emirates boards, and is likely to recommend that the boycott be withdrawn. “Naqvi will brief the PM on the communications he has had with the Bangladesh, Sri Lankan and Emirates cricket boards and with the ICC on the crisis,” the source said, adding that the final decision rests solely with Sharif.
During his discussions with Khwaja, Naqvi also raised a pointed question, asking whether the ICC would have remained silent if Pakistan had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from an Indian official. The trophy remains locked at the Asian Cricket Council headquarters in Dubai after Naqvi, who currently heads the ACC, insisted only he would present it in full media view.
The stakes are high. If Pakistan fail to turn up, they risk losing millions in ICC revenue, while the host broadcaster could forfeit between Rs 200 crore and Rs 250 crore in advertising, given that a 10-second slot for this match can cost up to Rs 40 lakh. Sri Lanka Cricket has also warned the PCB that cancelling the fixture would inflict financial damage on SLC and harm the image of the tournament being jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India. While the Board of Control for Cricket in India has stayed silent, sources say the Indian team will proceed strictly according to ICC protocol, travel to Sri Lanka as scheduled, complete its training and press commitments, arrive at the R Premadasa Stadium on match day and await the match referee’s decision if Pakistan do not take the field.
The ICC has said it will formally announce the status of the match by Tuesday morning.