- PCB chief praises national team’s, talent, competitiveness.
- Support for Bangladesh guided by cricket’s principles: Naqvi.
- PCB chief cautions against political interference in cricket.
The national men’s cricket team on Sunday pledged its full support to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) principled position regarding participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi met national players, briefing them on the board’s position regarding the T20 World Cup after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the tournament, Geo News reported.
During the meeting, players praised the PCB chairman’s principled approach in the dispute between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC.
The cricket-governing body replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026 over Dhaka’s refusal to send its team to India for the mega event, citing concerns about players’ safety and well-being.
In a statement on Saturday, the ICC said that it made the decision after finding no “credible or verifiable security threat” to the Bangladesh national team in India.
However, Naqvi said that the decision reflected “ICC’s double standards”, saying PCB would follow government directives regarding participation in the tournament.
He added that Pakistan’s support for Bangladesh was guided by cricket’s golden principles, and cautioned against political interference in the sport.
“Politics-laden cricket is in nobody’s interest; everyone must operate according to cricket’s principles,” he said.
The sources said that the PCB chief is expected to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tomorrow to discuss matters related to Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Meanwhile, Naqvi extended his best wishes to the team ahead of the T20I series against Australia, highlighting the importance of teamwork in achieving success.
The national players are talented and know how to compete in every aspect, he said, adding that fans were expecting good performances from them in the upcoming series.
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, PCB’s chief operating officer, director media, director commercial, and team manager also attended the meeting.
