The ten-day-long impasse between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the India versus Pakistan Group A fixture in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 concluded earlier this week. The Government of Pakistan reversed its stance and gave permission to Salman Ali Agha and the rest of the senior men’s team to take the field against India on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The announcement was made on Monday night, after the ICC confirmed that no sanctions would be imposed on Bangladesh for missing the tournament and refusing to travel to India.
Ever since the Pakistan Government announced a boycott of the game, a sense of dread prevailed among the ICC’s top officials. The losses would have been humongous had the game not gone ahead. However, eight days later, everything became hunky dory following the result of the meeting between the two-member ICC delegation, the PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam.
The ICC sent a two-member delegation comprising Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja and the Associate Members’ representative, Mubashir Usmani, to meet with both the PCB and the BCB at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to hear their grievances. The meeting lasted for two to three hours, and it has now reliably been learnt that Usmani, who is also the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) general secretary, had a key role to play, as he went a long way in ensuring that a resolution was found, which could keep all the parties’ best interests at heart.
Sources privy to developments on Wednesday confirmed to The Hindustan Times Digital that Mubashir got into the thick of the action soon after the Government of Pakistan announced it would boycott the game against India.
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“Mubashir played a pivotal role in ensuring that all stakeholders, namely the ICC, PCB and the BCB, reach consensus and amicably resolve the dispute that had threatened to disrupt not only the ongoing World Cup but the future of the ICC events,” the source told HT.
“He was instrumental in resolving the crisis that began a few days ago after Pakistan’s pullout from their match against India. He took charge and was involved in the proceedings as soon as the ICC began negotiations to find a solution to the standoff,” the source further stated.
‘The game was saved’
While many believe the negotiations ended on February 8, the truth is that back-channel talks were held on February 9 as well, after a last-minute impasse emerged over the ICC solution. However, once again, it was Usmani who was batting on the front foot and looking to come up with a solution as soon as possible.
“Even till the very end, Mubashir remained an important figure in the resolution of the crisis, as a deadlock had emerged as late as Monday evening around some of the key components of the ICC solution,” stated the source.
“The intervention helped save the game from a major crisis that was threatening to affect not only the T20 World Cup but the future of ICC events, especially with the economics and distribution model of ICC funding for all its members – Full Members and Associate Members alike,” the source stated.
The standoff between the PCB and ICC emerged after Pakistan decided to show solidarity with Bangladesh following their ouster from the T20 World Cup. As soon as Scotland was named as the replacement, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi threatened to pull out of the tournament; however, days later, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif gave the team clearance to participate in the competition, with one caveat: the India game was off the table.
The PCB then reached out to the ICC days later, citing the Force Majeure Clause. The back-and-forth between the two parties continued, and Naqvi eventually invited BCB president Islam to Lahore. Just hours later, the two-member ICC delegation arrived in the country, and a meeting was held among the three concerned parties.
Finally, on Monday, the BCB urged the PCB to play the match against India, and minutes later, the ICC also confirmed that no sanctions would be imposed on Bangladesh. Moreover, they would also get the hosting rights for an event before 2031. With the two major developments out of the way, the decks were cleared for the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match to go ahead as scheduled.
