Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said on Monday that he had informed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about the “International Cricket Council (ICC) matter”, saying a “final decision will be taken next Friday or Monday”.
According to a document from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Naqvi had visited the Prime Minister in Islamabad earlier in the day.
“During the meeting, he briefed the Prime Minister about the recent situation regarding the ICC T20 World Cup and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB),” the document said.
Afterwards, Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said he had a “productive” meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz.
“(I) informed him of the ICC issue, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision would be made next Friday or Monday,” the message read.
The development comes as questions were raised over Pakistan’s participation in the tournament following the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland.
Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland on Saturday, which is expected to begin next month, following their refusal visiting India for security reasons following tense political relations between the Asian neighbors.
The ruling ICC has rejected Bangladesh’s request to move its matches to tournament co-host Sri Lanka, saying it was not possible to change the schedule so close to the start of the tournament on February 7.
Hours before the ICC announced its decision, Naqvi had said Bangladesh was being treated unfairly and should be allowed to participate in the tournament.
He then said that Pakistan’s participation was still not confirmed. “The prime minister is not in Pakistan at the moment. When he returns, I can give you our final decision,” Naqvi had said.
Meanwhile, the International Cricketers’ Association said on Sunday that Bangladesh’s absence from the T20 World Cup was a sad moment for the game and should serve as a call to stakeholders to work to unify the sport, not divide it.
“Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the T20 World Cup, and the resulting absence of a beloved cricket nation from the international T20 cricket event, is a sad moment for our sport, the players and fans of Bangladesh, and one that requires careful consideration,” World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) chief executive Tom Moffat said in a statement.
