Pakistan rule out T20 World Cup boycott in Bangladesh solidarity: 'PCB has no grounds to do so' – Report

Pakistan have reportedly clarified that they will not boycott the T20 World Cup even if Bangladesh opt to withdraw over security concerns

Pakistan have put an end to speculation that they had halted preparations for the T20 World Cup and were considering a pull-out in solidarity with Bangladesh amid the latter’s standoff with the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Pakistan are placed in Group A in the 2026 T20 World Cup (AP)

According to a report by RevSportz, Pakistan have clarified that they will not boycott the tournament even if Bangladesh opt to withdraw over security concerns related to playing their group-stage matches in India.

A source close to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) told the publication: “Nope, this is not the PCB’s stand.” The source explained that since Pakistan are scheduled to play all their matches in Sri Lanka as per the pre-tournament agreement finalised in early 2025, after India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, there are no grounds for the PCB to withdraw from the World Cup.

“Pakistan don’t have any grounds to do so, because the ICC would point out that Pakistan are already playing their matches in Sri Lanka. People just float such things to fire up the issue,” the source added.

Earlier, Pakistani news outlet Geo News reported that Bangladesh had reached out to Pakistan seeking diplomatic and cricketing support amid their dispute with the ICC. The standoff began after the BCCI instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Mustafizur Rahman from their squad, a move that reportedly angered the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

Following this, Bangladesh banned the broadcast of the IPL and formally wrote to the ICC requesting that their scheduled T20 World Cup group matches be moved out of India. Drawn in Group B, Bangladesh are slated to play their matches in Mumbai and Kolkata. The BCB cited “security and safety” concerns for their players, staff and officials, but the request was rejected by the ICC, which reportedly assessed the threat level at Indian venues as “nil to negligible”.

The BCB subsequently proposed a group swap with Ireland, who are scheduled to play all their league matches in Sri Lanka. “Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB said in a press release. However, the ICC reportedly assured Ireland that no such swap would take place.

The ICC has now issued an ultimatum to Bangladesh, asking them to clarify their position by January 21. Should Bangladesh withdraw, Scotland, the highest-ranked non-qualified team, would replace them in Group B.