The Pakistan Cricket Board is reportedly set to make its position clear on the proposed boycott of its T20 World Cup 2026 match against India within the next 24 hours, after a long and intense meeting with senior ICC officials in Lahore. With the big clash just days away, the PCB is expected to turn to Pakistan’s federal government for a final call as the standoff continues to hang over cricket’s biggest rivalry.
The meeting, held at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, ran for more than five hours and brought together PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja, and Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam. The goal was simple: find a way out before the situation spirals any further.
According to reports, the PCB now wants clear guidance from the government, and officials believe the next day could be crucial. The issue has quickly become one of the defining stories of the World Cup build-up, not just because of the politics involved, but because India vs Pakistan is the tournament’s biggest attraction by far.
The drama really escalated on February 2, when Pakistan announced they would not play India on February 15 in Colombo. That decision added fuel to an already tense backdrop, after Bangladesh earlier refused to travel to India for the tournament citing security concerns and were replaced by Scotland.
Interestingly, Aminul Islam’s arrival in Lahore just hours before the ICC meeting only underlined how closely Bangladesh is now tied into these negotiations. Sources told India Today that Pakistan and Bangladesh have aligned their positions while the ICC continues to push for an amicable solution.
And it is not hard to see why the ICC is so eager to break the deadlock. An India vs Pakistan match is not just another group fixture. It is cricket’s biggest commercial event, the kind of game that drives broadcast deals, sponsorship money, and global attention like nothing else.
If Pakistan were to pull out, the ICC’s broadcast revenue would take a major hit, and the ripple effect would reach every member board through reduced annual payouts. That is the last thing the governing body wants with the World Cup about to begin.
ICC want the tournament’s marquee clash on the schedule, not stuck in administrative limbo. And with the PCB expected to confirm its stance within 24 hours, the countdown is officially on.
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