Bangladesh urge Pakistan to play India in T20 World Cup clash
The high-profile group-stage encounter, set to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, had been thrown into doubt after the Pakistan government advised its team not to take the field against India. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that the initial decision was made to support Bangladesh after their request to move matches out of India was rejected, leading to their withdrawal from the tournament.
Following discussions in Lahore involving officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), BCB president Ameenul Islam formally requested that Pakistan participate in the match. He said playing the fixture would benefit the “entire cricket ecosystem”.
If Pakistan do not play, they would forfeit the points from the group-stage match. Continued uncertainty could also have wider financial implications, particularly concerning ICC broadcast rights deals, which are set to run until the conclusion of the 2027 World Cup.
Many smaller cricketing nations rely heavily on revenue distributed by the ICC, meaning any disruption to commercial agreements could have broader consequences for the sport.
The ICC and PCB have been contacted for comment as the situation develops.
