Pakistan’s T20 World Cup participation hangs in balance after Shehbaz-Naqvi meeting

Pakistan’s participation in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 remains undecided, with a final call expected in the coming days following a key meeting between PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Naqvi said on Monday that he held a “productive meeting” with the prime minister, during which he briefed him on the matter.

According to the PCB chairman, the prime minister directed that the issue be resolved while keeping all options on the table, and it was agreed that a final decision would be taken either on Friday or next Monday.

The development comes a day after Naqvi stated that Pakistan’s World Cup participation would be decided only after consultation with the federal government.

Speaking after the ICC officially removed Bangladesh from the tournament due to their refusal to play matches in India, Naqvi accused the ICC of double standards and termed Bangladesh’s removal an injustice.

“Our stance [on World Cup participation] will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me,” Naqvi had said. “It’s the government’s decision. We obey them, not the ICC.”

Over the past week, Pakistan has openly backed Bangladesh in their dispute with the ICC over playing their World Cup matches in India. The PCB was understood to be the only board to support the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s demand for a neutral venue during an ICC meeting. Although the tournament is jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, all of Bangladesh’s matches were scheduled to be played in India.

Bangladesh cited security concerns, stating it was no longer safe for them to play in India following the BCCI’s January 3 directive asking Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad.

Pakistan will play all their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka and are scheduled to take the field in the opening game of the tournament against Netherlands on February 7. They are set to lock horns with India on February 15 in Colombo in their group stage clash.