The federal government on Sunday allowed the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the Men’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026, but barred the green jersey from playing the February 15 match against India.
The development came after a meeting between Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the federal capital.
Sources familiar with the matter said Pakinomist news that the ICC’s biased treatment of Bangladesh was the main reason behind the decision.
Tensions flared between the Bangladesh and India cricket boards after Bangladesh’s star pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the directions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), sparking outrage in Dhaka.
Later, the BCB requested the ICC to move their matches outside India, but the international cricket body rejected the plea. In light of the BCB’s firm stance, the ICC replaced them with Scotland in the showpiece event, saying it was not possible to change the schedule so close to the start of the tournament on February 7.
Referring to the Pakistan government’s decision, the sources said the decision was aimed at expressing solidarity with Bangladesh.
“The Pakistan team has been instructed not to play the February 15 match against India as a protest,” the sources added.
India’s Jay Shah, who was elected indefinitely as the chairman of the sport’s world body in August 2024, has turned the ICC into the “Indian Cricket Council” with his biased decision, the sources said.
“The principles of justice and equality have been shattered by biased decisions,” government sources said, adding that double standards were adopted while taking decisions from the ICC platform.
In view of the prevailing situation, it was necessary to register the protest, government sources added.
