T20 World Cup uncertainty reaches Pakistan dressing room after Bangladesh saga; Mohsin Naqvi to address players

Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparations face uncertainty after Bangladesh's replacement by Scotland. PCB chairman plans to meet players to clarify participation.

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup build-up has taken an unusual turn, with the national squad left preparing for a tournament whose participation is suddenly being framed as a political call rather than a purely cricketing one.

Salman Ali Agha speaks during a press conference to announce the squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. (AP)

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is set to meet the players named in the squad announced on Sunday, after Bangladesh were removed from the T20 World Cup and replaced by Scotland, a development that has triggered fresh uncertainty inside Pakistan’s camp.

“Naqvi has decided to meet the players of the World Cup squad announced on Sunday to brief them on the team’s participation in the T20I World Cup, as there remains uncertainty after Bangladesh was thrown out of the World Cup in an unjust decision,” Telecom Asia Sport quoted a source as saying on Sunday.

“Players, including skipper Salman Agha, have discussed this and were slightly uncertain whether they should keep preparing for the World Cup or not, and in this regard, the chairman’s briefing will help them,” the source added.

Naqvi’s planned briefing follows a series of public remarks from the PCB chief backing Bangladesh’s stance and questioning the ICC’s handling of the situation, even as the tournament schedule remains unchanged. The Pakistan board’s position has also underlined that any final decision on participation would require clearance from the country’s government, a line that has kept the issue alive beyond the dressing room.

The immediate concern for the players is practical: World Cup preparation operates on tight cycles, with conditioning blocks, role clarity, travel logistics and match-readiness mapped months in advance. Any ambiguity over whether a team will take part can dilute focus, while also compilation planning or training camps and competitive build-up.

Pakistan’s squad, led by Salman Agha, was announced on Sunday, and the expectation inside the setup has been to proceed with preparations as normal. But the fallout from Bangladesh's removal has sharpened the debate around “neutral venues” precedents and the limits of accommodation within ICC events, themes that have historically flared in South Asian politics.

Naqvi’s meeting, therefore, is likely to serve two purposes: to reassure the players that preparation must continue irrespective of administrative noise, and to communicate where matters stand with the government-level decision-making that now hovers over the campaign. For a team that has repeatedly spoken about improving process and stability in the lead-up to the global tournaments, the latest uncertainty is an unwelcome distraction.

If the chairman can offer clarity, even if it is simply a timeline for when the government call will be taken, it should help the squad lock back into cricket. If not, Pakistan risk carrying a “will we, won’t we” cloud into a tournament where margins are already thin and momentum is everything.