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T20 World Cup 2026: How often do fans see Cricket boards engaging in 'theatrics' for the local audience, amidst an ongoing World Cup in the neighbouring countries? The day (midnight) of February 9 unfolded at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore as one such day where two Cricketing boards, who mostly kept voting against each other in the ICC (International Cricket Council) historically, paraded their 'brotherly' relations in front of the Cricketing world.

The Interior Minister in the Pakistan government, Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board, had a stage set up for himself with a journalist starting his question with, 'Aapne ICC Ko Ghutno Pe Laa Diya (You brought ICC to the knees).

Act 1

ICC, which sent its deputy chair, Imran Khawaja, to reason with the boards, as he got the job done for the organisation. A report from the Indian Express suggests that 174 million dollars were at stake if the encounter didn't take place. There is no denying the fact that the Dubai-based body was under pressure to get Pakistan on board, which had announced that they do not wish to take the field against their arch-rivals on Sunday. As per Naqvi, PCB didn't do it for themselves but for their 'brotherly-nation' Bangladesh. 'Apne Liye Kuch Nahi Kiya (We Didn't Do It For Ourselves)', said Naqvi while addressing a question from another reporter.

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However, a report by India Today contradicts Naqvi's 'Apne Liye Kuch Nahi Kiya' claim, as Pakistan wanted a revival of bilateral cricket with India, along with a proposal for a tri-series featuring Bangladesh as the third country. However, both these demands were turned down by the ICC (International Cricket Council), the report stated.

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Interestingly, the report was done by a journalist who has seen Pakistan Cricket from close quarters and enjoys a fan following in the country, which was evident during his visit in 2025.

It is also worth noting that the veteran journalist was named in PCB's release, as they denied the report on their social media handle. It proves one thing for sure: the journalist is heard and acknowledged in Pakistan despite his views.

Act 2

As soon as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam travelled back to Dhaka from Lahore, he delivered a statement, claiming that he requested Pakistan to not miss the game against India for the 'benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem'. "Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on February 15 against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem," Islam said in the statement.

However, a PTI report suggested that it was PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi who asked the BCB president to make a 'formal appeal' to Pakistan to play against India on Sunday. "Bulbul was called by Naqvi to request that he issues a formal appeal to Pakistan to play the game (against India), and that was a respectable way of wriggling out of the mess," a source close to the development said.

The assimilation of both these acts worked like a 'charm' on PCB as Naqvi suddenly remembered the cause of Bangladesh (unlike Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Yahya Khan in 1971, when they were actually one nation).

The Props:

The ICC decided to adopt a more forgiving stance towards Bangladesh, even though they declined to participate in India and had to be substituted in the prestigious tournament by Scotland.

"Bangladesh remains a priority cricket ecosystem deserving of long-term investment in its development, competitiveness and global integration, and is not defined by short-term disruptions," Sanjog Gupta, Chief Executive of the ICC, said in a statement.

BCB Vice President Faruque Ahmed told Cricbuzz that they were relieved to learn about the development, "I think we are relieved (as no financial penalty was sanctioned) considering there were lots of things floating in the air after we refused to travel to India to take part in the World Cup.

"There were several sanctions and penalties that could have come our way, and those have been stopped. Additionally, since we couldn't play in the World Cup, there is a possibility of financial loss. They might not recover that directly in a financial sense, but perhaps we can host some events here - for example, the Women's World Cup," he said.

Also, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also received a call from Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who too urged him to allow the team to play the match.

"The Sri Lankan President requested the Prime Minister to accord serious consideration to amicably resolve the current impasse."

Wake up to reality:

As the theatrics ended, some implications lie ahead for the cricketing world:

1. The episodes suggest that ICC is open to blackmail and bullying (by all cricketing boards).

2. The buck stops at India vs Pakistan. It continues to dictate terms for other games as well.

3. The people really at a loss here are the Bangladesh Cricket players, who earned a hard-fought qualification for the tournament but miss out on an important tournament.

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4. Mohsin Naqvi has played his part as a politician and earned brownie points among political elites in Pakistan with this act. No surprises if he becomes Pakistan's Prime Minister at some point in his career. Hopefully, he does not end up like other Prime Ministers who were either jailed, killed, or had to flee the country.

or he might just evade everything due to the Asim Munir factor.

5. India and Pakistan to earn significant revenue from the game.

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