The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday denied approaching the International Cricket Council (ICC) in connection with the team’s boycott of the match against India on February 15.
In a post on the social media platform X, the PCB issued a statement attributed to its spokesperson, Amir Mir. “I categorically reject the claim by Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta that the PCB approached the ICC,” Mir was quoted as saying. Gupta, earlier in the day, had posted on X that the PCB had “reached out to the ICC for dialogue”. He had alleged that after the ICC wrote back to the PCB regarding the legal ramifications it could face, the board approached the cricket world body for talks to resolve the issue. “As usual, sections of the Indian media are busy circulating fiction. A little patience and time will clearly show who actually went knocking and who didn’t,” PCB spokesperson Mir said.
It is worth mentioning that earlier on Saturday, AFP had reported a source close to the developments as saying that the PCB had reached out to the ICC after a formal communication from the cricket world body. The ICC was seeking a resolution through dialogue and not confrontation, the source added, according to AFP.
The government gave the cricket team the nod to participate in the T20 World Cup 2026, but said the Green Shirts would not play their match with arch-rivals India, scheduled to be held in Colombo.
Any clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsorship and advertising revenue.
The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up after Bangladesh, who refused to play in India citing security concerns, were replaced by Scotland. As a protest, Pakistan refused to face co-hosts India in their Group A fixture.
Pakistan, who edged out Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate. India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this week that his team would travel to Colombo for the clash.
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade, and meet only in global or regional tournaments. Earlier this week, Sri Lanka’s cricket board asked Pakistan to reconsider the decision to boycott the match with India. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told the PCB that a boycott would result in a financial hit and also hurt the island’s tourism industry, which is still recovering from the 2022 economic meltdown. Meanwhile, skipper Salman Agha has stated that if Pakistan were to face India in a semi-final or final, they would consult the government.