Mumbai, February 9: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly rejected the demands made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to end the boycott of India vs Pakistan clash in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. The match between the arch-rivals is scheduled to take place on February 15 at the iconic R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, black clouds loom over the game as Pakistan Government had announced that they will not allow their players to participate in the match.
A meeting was held between the Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, ICC delegation led by Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam at the Gaddagi Stadium in Lahore. There are reports that Pakistan proposed three demands to end the boycott during the meeting.
The demands were as follows:
1. PCB demanded India must be asked to engage with Pakistan in bilaterals.
2. PCB demanded India - Pakistan - Bangladesh to play Tri-series.
3. PCB also demanded that India must tour Bangladesh this year.
ICC Rejects All The Demands
However, there are reports that the ICC has rejected all the demands made by the PCB saying that it is not their domain.
ICC Cannot Resume Bilaterals
1. Bilateral cricket series are planned under the ICC's Future Tours Programme (FTP), which is a long-term schedule for international matches.
2. The ICC only creates the overall plan, but the two cricket boards involved decide the details of a bilateral series.
3. These decisions depend on money, TV rights, player workload and scheduling.
4. India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket due to political reasons, not just cricketing ones.
5. Because of this, the ICC cannot restart India vs Pakistan series on its own.
6. Any such decision would require approval from the BCCI and the Indian government.
