India v Pakistan T20 World Cup boycott row: ICC officials in Lahore for negotiations
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam has also arrived in Pakistan
Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have resumed discussions following the Pakistan government’s call to boycott Pakistan’s T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled to be played in Colombo on February 15.
It is understood that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam has arrived in Pakistan and will attend an ICC emergency meeting later today. Other board members are also expected to participate.
The renewed talks come in the wake of Pakistan’s decision to boycott the World Cup fixture against India, a move the PCB has linked to what it describes as the ICC’s biased approach, with Bangladesh playing a key role in the ongoing dispute.
Tensions escalated between the Bangladesh and India cricket boards after Bangladesh’s star pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the alleged direction of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), triggering widespread outrage in Dhaka.
Subsequently, the BCB requested the ICC to relocate its matches outside India, but the governing body rejected the proposal. Following Bangladesh’s firm stance, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, citing the impracticality of altering the schedule so close to the event’s February 7 start date.
Meanwhile, the PCB has dismissed reports in Indian media claiming that it had offered to hold talks with the ICC to resolve the issue surrounding its decision to boycott the match against India.
