Pak Board Chief Confronted Over T20 World Cup U-Turn, Struggles To Save Face

Pakistan are set to play against India in their T20 World Cup group match on 15 February, after confirming a U-turn on their stance to boycott the fixture. The Pakistan government had earlier barred its team from taking the field against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were removed from the tournament by the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, a series of discussions involving Pakistan, Bangladesh, the ICC, and boards from other nations, including the UAE and Sri Lanka, took place before the U-turn was made official on Monday.

Immediately before the official announcement, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi attended a Pakistan Super League (PSL) press conference, where he was questioned regarding the "boycott" stance.

After the press conference concluded, Naqvi was confronted by an interviewer seeking "inside details" about Pakistan's position. It was then that Naqvi all but confirmed the impending U-turn. When asked if Pakistan had gained any concessions for themselves during negotiations with the ICC, Naqvi replied, "Apne liye kuch nahi kiya" (I didn't do anything for myself).

Mohsin Naqvi: "Bas ab thodi der mein faisla ho jayega." (A decision will be made in just a little while.)

Interviewer: "Acchi khabar aa rahi hai?" (Is good news on the way?)

Mohsin Naqvi: "Hum to har waqt acchi khabar hi dete hain." (We always provide good news.)

Mohsin Naqvi: "Aapne Bangladesh ki statement dekhi hogi. Bangladesh ne request ki hai Pakistan se ki hum match khelein. Definitely, unka saara maamla tay hua hai, tabhi unhone ye request ki hai." (You must have seen Bangladesh's statement. Bangladesh has requested that Pakistan play the match. Clearly, their issues have been resolved; that is why they made this request.)

Interviewer: "Hamne apni kuch baat manwayi hai unse?" (Did we get them to agree to any of our own terms?)

Mohsin Naqvi: "Hamne Bangladesh ke liye stand liya tha. Unhi ki baat thi. Hamne apne liye kuch nahi kiya." (We took a stand for Bangladesh. It was their matter. We didn't do anything for ourselves.)

Mohsin Naqvi Statement on India Vs Pakistan match #PAKvIND #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/Mm523Uldb3

— Ravish Bisht (@ravishbofficial) February 9, 2026

The ICC also issued a release after the weeks-long drama officially came to an end. In the statement, the sport's top governing body said: "In that prevailing spirit, it was agreed that all members will respect their commitments as per the terms of participation for ICC events and do all that is necessary to ensure that the ongoing edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is a success."

It was also understood that the ICC rejected a total of three demands made by the PCB, one of which was the resumption of bilateral series against India.