The International Cricket Council (ICC) is reportedly unhappy with recent remarks made by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi in support of Bangladesh. “Bangladesh has been treated unfairly. One country can make any decision whenever, while it is the opposite for another. Bangladesh is a major stakeholder and this injustice should not happen,” Naqvi had told reporters.
The ICC has now said if Pakistan takes a similar stand like that of Bangladesh and chooses not to take part in the tournament, the ICC may take strict action including scrapping them from bilateral series involving Pakistan, refusing to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to foreign players who want to play in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and keeping Pakistan out of the Asia Cup, according to a report by The Indian Express.
“If Pakistan also decides not to play the T20 World Cup, the ICC will impose a series of sanctions, including no bilateral series with any international team, no NOC for foreign players in PSL, and no Asia Cup participation,” IE reported quoting a source.
ICC warns Pakistan after Naqvi’s comments, claims report
Earlier, Naqvi had accused the ICC of following “double standards” and said Bangladesh was being treated unfairly.
He also said Pakistan’s decision on playing the World Cup would be taken at the highest level of the government, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif returns from his foreign visit.
What did Naqvi say
“Bangladesh has been treated unfairly. One country can make any decision whenever, while it is the opposite for another. Bangladesh is a major stakeholder and this injustice should not happen,” Naqvi told reporters.
The PCB has asked the ICC to consider a hybrid model for Bangladesh, similar to the one allowed for Pakistan, under which Pakistan will play all its T20 World Cup matches in Colombo.
“Bangladesh is a full ICC member like Pakistan. If a similar favour has been extended to Pakistan and India, the same should apply to Bangladesh. One country cannot dictate terms to another,” Naqvi said.
Bangladesh replaced by Scotland
The ICC on January 24 officially dropped Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026 and replaced them with Scotland in Group C. The decision followed Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India and their formal request to have their matches moved to Sri Lanka.
Scotland, the highest-ranked T20I team that had not originally qualified for the tournament, was given the spot based on ICC rankings. They will now compete in Group C along with England, the West Indies, Nepal and Italy. On paper, the reshuffle is seen as making Group C relatively easier for the two Full Member teams, England and the West Indies, as they aim to reach the Super 8 stage.