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Cricket PlayersMohsin Naqvi's no-holds-barred response to ICC sanctions threat: ‘Everyone knows our Field Marshall Asim Munir’
Mohsin Naqvi brought Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, into the conversation when asked whether the PCB was concerned about being sanctioned.
After one week of drama, the end of the soap opera has come about. Pakistan will indeed take the field against India on February 15 in Colombo in the Group A match of the Men's T20 World Cup 2026 after the Government of Pakistan cleared the decks and gave the necessary permission late on Monday night. On February 8, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam, and a two-member ICC delegation met at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to decide the future course of action. Once the images and visuals from the meeting were made public, it was just a matter of time before Pakistan made it official that the U-turn was coming.
However, shortly before the Government of Pakistan's announcement, Naqvi, who is also the Interior Minister, responded to reports that the International Cricket Council (ICC) may sanction them if they don't play the game against India, saying he is not one bit bothered. Naqvi, who was at the centre of the drama at the Asia Cup 2025, when the Indian team refused to accept the trophy from him, also brought Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan, into the conversation.
“You know we are not ones to be afraid of these threats at all. Everyone knows our Field Marshall (Asim Munir). We are not worried about any sanctions,” Naqvi told reporters when asked whether the PCB is under pressure from the possible sanctions by the ICC.
Also Read: Inside PCB’s rethink: How weeks of India boycott threats quietly gave way to T20 World Cup talks
On Monday, Naqvi attended the Multan Sultans auction, sparking speculation that a final decision on the India versus Pakistan contest would be announced that day. Around 8:30 PM IST, Naqvi told reporters that it would take another 24-48 hours to make the decision, as he had yet to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
“We have had discussions with them. It would not be right for me to make any comments right now. Once we get their response, we will decide. We will go back to the PM for advice once the ICC replies. An announcement will come tomorrow or the day after tomorrow,” Naqvi told reporters.
However, it is worth noting that at that time, the ICC had issued no statement. Hours later, the apex body confirmed that no sanctions would be imposed on Bangladesh for not playing in the World Cup, and that the country would also be given hosting rights for one event before 2031, most likely the U19 World Cup in 2028. This paved the way for the Government of Pakistan to make a late-night decision on the fate of the India fixture.
Naqvi's hint at U-turn
However, Naqvi's interaction with the local media gave the first and biggest hint that a U-turn was coming. He seemed pleased with the ICC delegation visiting Pakistan to hold talks, and the PCB chief's comments made it pretty clear that the men's team would indeed be taking the field against India on February 15.
“We respect our guests, and ICC came to our house, so we respected them. When a guest comes over then you forget and forgive a lot of things,” he said.
It is worth noting that at the February 8 meeting between the ICC delegation, PCB, and BCB, the latter two put forward demands to the world body. It's not known what sort of demands were asked by the PCB, as the ICC official release only mentions Bangladesh, and there's no mention of Pakistan.
