Ehsan Mani, the former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman, believes that the latter is in no position to impose sanctions on Pakistan following the decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. On February 1, the Government of Pakistan stunned the world by announcing a boycott of the match against the arch-rival, and this call was seen as Pakistan making a conscious decision to show solidarity with the country following its refusal to travel to India due to security concerns.
The PCB has yet to write to the ICC, but the latter issued a reactive statement on Sunday, warning Pakistan of severe consequences if it doesn't reconsider its stance. Pakistan is at risk of being sanctioned by the ICC following its decision to forfeit the match against India, which is against the tournament's playing guidelines.
However, Mani believes the sanctions cannot be enforced because the call has been dictated by the government. He also said there is no precedent for the same, as even India was allowed to get away with it when it refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
Also Read: ICC warns Pakistan of repercussions if it doesn’t change stance on India T20 World Cup match
“There can’t be any sanctions against Pakistan if it follows the government's instructions. That was the basis on which India refused to play its 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan. You can’t have double standards. So, unfortunately, again I come back to the fact that instead of dealing with the problem, the ICC just stood there as a bystander," Mani was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
{{/usCountry}}“There can’t be any sanctions against Pakistan if it follows the government's instructions. That was the basis on which India refused to play its 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan. You can’t have double standards. So, unfortunately, again I come back to the fact that instead of dealing with the problem, the ICC just stood there as a bystander," Mani was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
{{/usCountry}}“You left the door open for any country to get its government involved. And especially knowing that the chairman of the PCB is a serving minister of the government," he added.
What did the Pakistan Government say?
The Government of Pakistan on Sunday gave permission to the men's team to participate in the T20 World Cup; however, it was clearly stated that the side cannot take the field against India.
Ever since Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the T20 World Cup, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi kept on threatening to pull out of the tournament. He met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on two occasions, and finally, the decision came on Sunday.
Pakistan are in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA. The Salman Ali Agha-led side left for Colombo on Monday evening, where they will play all their matches. The campaign will begin on February 7 against the Netherlands. Before this fixture, Agha and co will also play a warm-up match against Ireland on Wednesday, February 4.