- PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to fulfill PM Shehbaz at 6pm: sources.
- Premier to determine on participation; jersey to be unveiled afterwards.
- PCB to carry 4-team event in Lahore if group not participates.
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is more likely to determine on the nationwide aspect’s T20 World Cup 2026 participation at the moment, the sources stated on Sunday.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, the sources added, is predicted to fulfill Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at 6pm at the moment, who will determine on the Inexperienced Shirts’ participation within the event.
The event comes within the aftermath of the reviews of a possible boycott by Pakistan after the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to maneuver their video games to a venue exterior India.
The BCB requested the venue change after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was faraway from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the Indian cricket board’s directions, sparking fury in Bangladesh.
Nevertheless, the ICC changed them with Scotland within the showpiece occasion on Saturday, saying it was not possible to vary the schedule so near the February 7 begin of the event.
Bangladesh’s exclusion triggered reviews of Pakistan’s potential withdrawal from the event.
PCB chief Naqvi had already held a gathering with the PM on January 26, the place the 2 had mentioned the urgent matter.
In the meantime, sources say that an announcement concerning the T20 World Cup 2026 is predicted after the PCB chief-PM assembly at the moment.
The choice to disclose the group’s World Cup jersey, postponed as a consequence of “unavoidable causes”, can also be anticipated after the participation challenge is settled.
Moreover, the PCB has ready a plan in case of not collaborating within the T20 World Cup 2026.
A four-team event can be held in Lahore, the stated sources.
The Pakistan and Shaheens Underneath-18 groups can be divided into 4 groups, they added.
Bangladesh-India tensions
Relations between Bangladesh and India have been strained relations in current instances, with political tensions between the 2 neighbouring nations after Bangladesh’s former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled to New Delhi following protests in opposition to her.
Political tensions have since then spilt into cricket.
Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from this yr’s Indian Premier League regardless of signing with its Kolkata franchise. Bangladesh responded by banning IPL broadcasts within the nation and demanding to play World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.
The standoff mirrors earlier tensions in South Asian cricket.
For the Champions Trophy final yr, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) caught to its coverage of not touring Pakistan due to the strained political ties between the bitter neighbours, who play one another solely in ICC occasions.
Like for the 2023 Asia Cup in Pakistan, a “hybrid mannequin” was agreed on below which India have been allowed to play their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai to salvage the event.
Underneath the settlement operating till 2027, Pakistan will play in a impartial venue for any ICC occasion, together with the T20 World Cup, the place they’re scheduled to play their matches in Sri Lanka.
