Pakistan withdraws boycott, clears team to play against India in T20 World Cup

The Pakistan government confirms the decision after consultations involving the ICC, PCB and BCB

Pakistan has withdrawn its threat to boycott its group match against India at the T20 World Cup, clearing the way for the Feb 15 fixture in Colombo to go ahead, ESPNcricinfo reports.

In a post issued late on Monday, the government of Pakistan said it had allowed the national team to take the field against India “in view of the outcomes achieved as well as the request of friendly countries”, removing concerns over the tournament’s most commercially significant contest.

The decision followed several days of intensified negotiations involving the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC.

ESPNcricinfo had reported earlier on Monday that optimism was growing among stakeholders that Pakistan would step back from its boycott stance.

Only hours before the announcement, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said a decision on the India match could come within 24 to 48 hours.

Shortly before that, the ICC issued a statement confirming that no penalty would be imposed on the BCB for its refusal to travel to India and that Bangladesh would be awarded hosting rights for an additional ICC event between 2028 and 2031.

That development prompted the BCB to publicly thank the PCB for standing by Bangladesh and to urge Pakistan to participate in its scheduled match against India.

The diplomatic push gained momentum on Sunday when BCB President Aminul Islam and ICC Deputy Chair Imran Khawaja travelled to Lahore for talks with PCB officials.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had earlier said the boycott threat was adopted in solidarity with Bangladesh following its removal from the tournament.

At an ICC Board meeting, the PCB was the only member apart from the BCB to oppose Bangladesh’s exclusion.

Naqvi criticised the decision as reflecting “double standards” and described Bangladesh’s treatment as an “injustice”, linking any withdrawal of Pakistan’s boycott threat to meaningful redress for Dhaka -- an outcome that now appears to have been achieved, ESPNcricinfo reported.