Bangladesh T20 World Cup Row: After the International Cricket Council (ICC) recently rejected Bangladesh's request to relocate their 2026 T20 World Cup group matches from India to Sri Lanka, a report stated that Pakistan is reportedly considering boycotting the tournament if the Bangla Tigers don't participate, citing security concerns.
According to Geo News, Pakistan "may boycott" the marquee event if the ICC fails to accept the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) demand to shift their match venue out of India.
The recent development came out after Bangladesh's request was turned down, with the ICC commenting that changing the schedule would set a precedent threatening future events.
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“The ICC Board noted that relocating matches under the present circumstances could jeopardise the sanctity of ICC events and undermine the organisation’s neutrality as a global governing body," the ICC said in a statement.
The political relations between the two neighbouring countries turned sour after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) despite signing with its Kolkata franchise.
Meanwhile, a report in Telecom Asia earlier cited a source in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as saying that PCB pulling out of the tournament is out of the question.
“Pakistan backed Bangladesh’s stance on principles because, on India’s insistence, their matches were moved out from Pakistan to Dubai, but the same reason by Bangladesh was not accepted, which is disappointing," Telecom Asia quoted sources as saying in their report.
“The report stated that Pakistan is considering various options, but withdrawal from the event is never an option nor was it considered," the report further added.
Adding more drama to the row, Bangladesh government’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul is set to meet the country's national cricketer, who will put out their personal views on the matter.