After the Government of Pakistan confirmed that the national cricket team “will not take the field on the 15th of February” for a fixture against India in Colombo, a decision that was poorly received across the cricketing world, sources have confirmed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reached out to several board members. The move came in an attempt to build support for its boycott stance in the T20 World Cup. However, the responses from these boards were unequivocal.
According to sources, Pakistan has been told that it has “no locus standi” in the matter, with multiple boards pointing out that the issue lay between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). In an earlier ICC meeting, a 14–2 vote was cast against Bangladesh’s request to move the venue from India to Sri Lanka, citing “security reasons”. The decision was accepted by the BCB, and Scotland subsequently replaced the team in the marquee event.
ICC board members have also highlighted inconsistencies in Pakistan’s stance. Pakistan recently played against India in the Under-19 World Cup and is also expected to feature against India in upcoming women’s fixtures. This has raised questions over the selective boycott of the men’s T20 World Cup.
Sources further noted that India’s participation in the 2025 Asia Cup was driven by a desire to protect associate member nations of the ICC, whose revenues would have been affected had the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) proceeded with an institutional withdrawal. The wider interests of global cricket were kept in mind, with India opting for a symbolic protest against Pakistan during the Asia Cup. Pakistan’s forfeiture, by contrast, could financially impact associate members, while the BCCI would be the party most affected commercially by a boycott.
As of late Sunday night, Pakistan had not formally communicated its position to the ICC. Sources also described the PCB’s outreach to other boards as “unnecessary politicisation” at a critical juncture, with World Cup warm-up matches already under way.
