Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has finally broken his silence after days of rumors and political drama regarding the T20 World Cup 2026. Mohsin Naqvi has made it clear that Pakistan did not press for any personal gain during its recent meeting with the ICC in Lahore.
Mohsin Naqvi breaks silence after T20 World Cup 2026 drama
Speaking in Peshawar on Tuesday (February 10), the PCB chairman said that the only reason for the talks was to stand up for Bangladesh. His statement came just a day after the Pakistan government allowed the national team to play against India in the Group A match in Colombo on February 15.
Before this announcement made late on Monday night, there were reports that Pakistan had put conditions before the ICC. Some reports also claimed that the PCB sought to resume bilateral cricket with India, including matches in the ICC World Test Championship cycle.
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It was also reported that this could be the first step towards reviving the India-Pakistan bilateral series after more than a decade. However, Naqvi has vehemently denied all such claims. He said that the discussions with the ICC were only about unfair treatment towards Bangladesh.
PCB denies demand for bilateral India-Pakistan series
Mohsin Naqvi was quoted by Hindustan Times as saying, “We did not discuss any topic other than Bangladesh. Our only objective was to give respect to Bangladesh and highlight the injustice done to them.” “And you saw that whatever demands Bangladesh made were accepted. That’s all.”
Furthermore, the PCB chairman has stressed that Pakistan has no hidden agenda and no personal demands. Many are trolling Pakistan for finally surrendering to the ICC, but Naqvi insisted that Bangladesh’s demands were demands, so there was no reason for them to boycott the India game.
Naqvi further explained, “We had no personal interest in the meeting. Our work was completely related to Bangladesh. The government took its decision on that basis. When their demands were accepted and it was accepted that they had been treated unfairly, we decided to play along.”
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ICC’s stance soft on Bangladesh; Report indicates secret concessions to Pakistan
The decision of the Pakistan government to allow the team to play against India was taken after the ICC responded to the Bangladesh issue. The ICC issued a statement minutes before Pakistan confirmed its participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 group match with India.
In that statement, the global body described Bangladesh’s absence from the World Cup as “unfortunate” and confirmed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will not face any punishment. The ICC also announced that Bangladesh will be given hosting rights for one event in the 2028–31 cycle, which will likely be the Men’s Under-19 World Cup.
This was seen as a major step to deal with the situation. However, there is no mention of any demand from Pakistan in the ICC statement. At the same time, another report has claimed that ICC might have offered some concessions to Pakistan to ensure that they do not withdraw from the match against India. Details of those potential concessions are expected to be revealed soon.
