Mohsin Naqvi Sets February 2 Deadline for Final Call on Pakistan’s T20 World Cup Participation

Pakistan will take a final call on its participation in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on February 2. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday to discuss the matter. He said the meeting was very productive, in which the Prime Minister advised him to resolve the matter with confidence while keeping all options on the table.

"Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister ... Shehbaz Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision [on participation] will be taken either on Friday or next Monday," said PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Besides speculation about the PCB’s outright boycott of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, there are also rumors that Pakistan could refuse to play the high-octane World Cup clash against India. If the PCB takes such a decision, it would result in huge financial losses for the ICC in the upcoming event.

The stance of Mohsin Naqvi and the PCB hardened after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup. He accused the ICC of showing double standards while dealing with Bangladesh’s security concerns over touring India.

"You can't have double standards. You can't say for one country [India] they can do whatever they want and for the others to have to do the complete opposite. That's why we've taken this stand, and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them. They should play in the World Cup, they are a major stakeholder in cricket," said Mohsin Naqvi.

The ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh has also been slammed by several former cricketers. It will be interesting to see what decision the PCB takes in the coming days, as it has backed Bangladesh’s legitimate stance from the beginning.