India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi is poised to ask Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to rethink the country's decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India, after a plea from Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam.
As per the reports, Naqvi is slated to brief Prime Minister Sharif of the evolving position on Monday, ahead of the high-stakes encounter with India in Colombo on February 15.
"Naqvi will brief the PM on the communications he has had with the Bangladesh, Sri Lankan and Emirates cricket boards and with the ICC on the crisis," the PCB source said as quoted by PTI.
BCB President Amin ul Islam's Lahore visit coincided with Naqvi's conference with ICC's Imran Khawaja, sparking conjecture about Bangladesh's part in Pakistan's India boycott rethink.
Earlier, Sri Lanka and the Emirates cricket boards had appealed to Pakistan to reconsider its boycott. Bangladesh's Amin ul Islam personally requested PCB chief Naqvi to change the decision, appreciating Pakistan's support.
According to a report in PTI, Naqvi is expected to request Prime Minister Sharif to allow Pakistan to play India in the T20 World Cup, following appeals from many boards.
However, the last decision rests with Sharif and the PCB will take it.
"He questioned Khawaja if the ICC had kept quiet if the Pakistan team had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy at the presentation from any Indian board official," the source said.
The trophy remains under lock at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) headquarters in Dubai, with Naqvi, the ACC chief, demanding on personally handle the high-profile presentation ceremony.
Bangladesh's World Cup campaign ended abruptly after they refused to play in India, citing "safety reasons," and later, the ICC replaced the Bangla Tigers with Scotland in the marquee tournament.