- ICC tasks Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja to hold talks.
- ICC official seen as neutral figure who can talk to all sides.
- Pakistan will be boycotting Feb 15 match against India.
LAHORE: In the aftermath of Pakistan’s announcement against playing their T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked its Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja to hold back-channel negotiations with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), NDTV reported on Wednesday.
Khwaja, who represents the Singapore Cricket Association and is seen within the ICC as a neutral figure who can talk to all sides, has been asked to convince Pakistan to play their T20 World Cup 2026 group match against India on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, reported Firstpost.
The report comes as the Pakistani government, on Sunday, announced that it would participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 but would boycott the match against arch-rival India.
Geo News has previously reported that Pakistan had decided to boycott the February 15 match to show solidarity with Bangladesh, whom the ICC kicked out of the tournament.
The ICC had rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to move their matches to a venue outside India. The BCB had sought the change following the removal of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the instructions of the Indian cricket board, a move that sparked widespread outrage in Bangladesh.
The cricketing body then replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, stating that it was not feasible to revise the schedule so close to the February 7 — start of the World Cup.
Meanwhile, multiple other factors influenced Pakistan’s decision to boycott the match, including ICC’s perceived biased stance towards Bangladesh playing a central role, with government sources noting that the Pakistani team was instructed not to take the field against India on February 15 as “a form of protest”.
The sources said that ICC chief Jay Shah’s partial decisions had effectively turned the International Cricket Council into an extension of the Indian cricket board.
They further said that these biased decisions have undermined the principles of fairness and equality, accusing the ICC of applying different standards to different countries on its platform.
Since then, the ICC, in its statement, has expressed hope that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would work towards a “mutually acceptable resolution”.
While recognising the prerogative of national governments, the ICC publicly urged the PCB to reconsider, arguing that the decision harms the sport and its global fanbase.
The council encouraged the Pakistani board to pursue a mutually acceptable solution that protects the interests of all stakeholders in the game, saying that the boycott decision was not “in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan”.
Losses to broadcasters
It is pertinent to know that Indian broadcasters are facing prospective losses in billions owing to Pakistan’s announcement of boycotting its match against India.
Green Shirts are in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands and USA, and are playing all their matches in Sri Lanka, which is a co-host of the tournament along with India.
Pakistan will play their first match against Netherlands on February 7, the opening day of the T20 World Cup, and then take on USA on February 10, and Namibia on February 18.
The India-Pakistan fixture is the most commercially lucrative game, which bankrolls the tournament, drives broadcast valuations, sponsorship deals and advertising premiums.
In commercial terms, the overall value of a single India-Pakistan T20 match is around $500 million, approximately INR45,000 crore when broadcast rights, advertising premiums, sponsorship activations, ticket sales and downstream commercial activity are taken into account.
As per a report, advertising slots during an India-Pakistan T20 match command between INR25 lakh and INR40 lakh for a 10-second spot, significantly higher than even knockout matches involving India against other top teams.
The most immediate financial impact would be felt by the official broadcast rights holder. Advertising revenue from the India-Pakistan match alone is estimated at around INR300 crore, the Indian publication cited industry projections as suggesting.
According to reports, both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would face an estimated immediate loss of around INR200 crore.
