Pakistan’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup remains uncertain, with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi stating that a final decision will be made either on Friday or next Monday. Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday to discuss the matter, two days after indicating that the government would determine Pakistan’s involvement.
“Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,” Naqvi tweeted. “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 [on participation] will be taken either on Friday or next Monday.”
Reports suggest an outright boycott of the tournament is not the only option under consideration. There has been speculation that Pakistan could specifically refuse to play their match against India on February 15 in Colombo as a form of targeted protest. The PCB has not publicly confirmed this, though chief selector Aaqib Javed noted that the government would decide the nature of Pakistan’s participation when the squad was announced.
Should the board delay until next week, it would leave Pakistan with only a few days to prepare for their first match, the T20 World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7.
Pakistan’s uncertainty follows Naqvi’s sharp criticism of the ICC after Bangladesh were removed from the tournament for refusing to travel to India. Naqvi accused the ICC of “double standards” favouring India and described the treatment of Bangladesh as “an injustice.”
“You can’t have double standards,” Naqvi said. “You can’t say for one country [India] they can do whatever they want and for the others to have to do the complete opposite. That’s why we’ve taken this stand, and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them. They should play in the World Cup, they are a major stakeholder in cricket.”
While Pakistan will not play any games in India during the tournament, choosing instead to play all matches in Sri Lanka, the PCB has been the only board to support Bangladesh in its stance. Bangladesh’s games were originally scheduled in India, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board cited security concerns after the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. The BCB formally informed the ICC that its team would not travel to India, a decision it maintained throughout multiple discussions.
