Pakistan has been in a tussle with the International Cricket Council (ICC) ever since the removal of Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup.
In the latest development of this row, the country’s Defence Minister, Khawaja M. Asif, took to X (formerly Twitter) to attack ICC, describing them as India’s hostage, and demanded a new international organisation for the sport.
“A new international organisation of cricket is needed to keep the spirit of the gentlement’s game alive, ICC has become hostage to Indian political interests in South Asia.”
Pakistan vs ICC T20 World Cup Row Explained
Upon Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from KKR’s IPL 2026 squad, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had demanded its matches be shifted out of India, pretty much at the last minute, which eventually led to their replacement with Scotland.
Pakistan sided with Bangladesh, threatening to withdraw from the tournament over the removal, but then scaled it down to just the boycott of their match against India.
The IND vs PAK match is still scheduled to February 15, 2026 at the moment, and India, as per reports, will travel to Sri Lanka and wait for the match referee to officially call off the tie.
Following the boycott statement from the Pakistani government, ICC released a statement, urging the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to consider the long-term and significant implications of such selective participation in the tournament.
The T20 World Cup is set to kick off from February 7, which is less than a week from now, so it will be interesting to see how this situation develops in the coming days.
Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Schedule
Here’s a look at Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Group Stage matches:
PAK vs NED – February 7, 2026
PAK vs USA – February 10, 2026
PAK vs IND – February 15, 2026
PAK vs NAM – February 18, 2026
Salman Ali Agha will lead the side in the tournament.
