Kamal Ghorui
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has stopped preparations for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 amid uncertainty over Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament, scheduled to be held next month in India and Sri Lanka. The move follows Pakistan’s support for Bangladesh’s demand that its matches be shifted out of India.According to a report by Pakistani news outlet Geo News, the PCB halted preparations after Pakistan backed Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India for its World Cup matches. Pakistan has indicated that it could reconsider its own participation if the issue remains unresolved.
The development followed talks between officials from Dhaka and Islamabad on Saturday, during which Pakistan expressed full support for Bangladesh’s stance, citing security concerns. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister and a Senator, was involved in the discussions.Geo News reported, quoting sources, that Pakistan would review its participation in the tournament if Bangladesh’s concerns are not addressed.The crisis began after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was withdrawn from the 2026 Indian Premier League on the BCCI’s instructions, citing unspecified “developments all around.” Since then, discussions between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have failed to produce a resolution.The BCB has stated that Bangladesh will not travel to India for its group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai, citing “security concerns”.With the tournament schedule already finalised, the ICC has shown reluctance to move Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka, the co-host nation, where the India-Pakistan match is scheduled to be held under the existing agreement for ICC events until 2027.If Bangladesh does not take part in the tournament, Scotland is likely to be named as the replacement team based on current rankings. Bangladesh are scheduled to play three league matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.The BCB has insisted on either a venue change or a group change so that its matches can be played in Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are currently placed in Group C along with West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal.In its last meeting with ICC officials in Dhaka, the BCB proposed swapping places with Ireland in Group B, which includes Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Zimbabwe. This would allow Bangladesh to play all its league matches in Sri Lanka.“…the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB said after the meeting on Saturday.While the BCB has said it considers travel to India unsafe for its players, the ICC’s risk assessment report has not identified any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team’s participation in the tournament.
