PCB chief Naqvi meets BCB president and ICC deputy chair amidst Pakistan’s India T20 World Cup boycott

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, on Sunday, met his Bangladesh counterpart Aminul Islam and International Cricket Council (ICC) deputy chair Imran Khwaja in Lahore, as efforts to resolve the standoff over Pakistan’s proposed boycott of the T20 World Cup match against India gathered pace.

The meeting took place at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Khwaja arrived in Lahore for talks with PCB officials amid growing indications that the deadlock over the high-profile February 15 clash between archrivals India and Pakistan in Colombo could be resolved, paving the way for the match to go ahead.

Khwaja, who represents Singapore in the ICC, is an influential figure in the world governing body and has voting rights on the board as an associate member director.

Aminul is expected to be part of the discussions aimed at persuading Pakistan to reconsider its decision not to play India in the World Cup.

The two officials—Khwaja and Aminul—were greeted at the airport by senior PCB officials and then driven to the Gaddafi Stadium.

Aminul reached Lahore ahead of Khwaja, and his presence is significant because the dispute between the PCB and ICC began because of the apex body’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland after the former refused to play its World Cup matches in India citing security reasons.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif recently said that Pakistan’s decision not to play against India was taken to show solidarity with Bangladesh, whose request to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka was rejected by the ICC.

Despite the ongoing negotiations, Pakistan’s decision to play against India rests solely with its government, and the situation is likely to become clearer in the next 48 hours.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published on Feb 08, 2026