Bangladesh intervenes in ICC-PCB discussions over India vs Pakistan match?:BCB President Aminul Islam heads to Lahore for crucial meeting

Ahead of India’s much-awaited clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board had earlier refused to play the February 15 match scheduled in Colombo. Following the refusal, the ICC sought a formal explanation from the PCB, which led to Pakistan being called for discussions with the global cricket body. In the latest development, the matter has moved toward dialogue, with a meeting set to take place involving Pakistan and the ICC to decide the way forward. The talks are aimed at addressing the concerns raised by Pakistan and finding a possible solution ahead of the high-profile fixture. Speaking exclusively to Bhaskar English, BCB Director Asif Akbar revealed that Bangladesh Cricket Board President Aminul Islam Bulbul has travelled to Lahore to attend the meeting. He is expected to return to Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon after participating in the discussions on the future course of action. Also read: WATCH | Rohit Sharma refuses snacks from Mukesh Ambani: Surya leaves toss for hug, Wankhede echoes with ‘Maa tujhe salaam’; top moments ‘BCB President to join ICC-PCB meeting’ – Asif Akbar Ahead of the high-profile clash between India and Pakistan, the BCB Director speaks exclusively on the course of action. He said, “Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul has gone to Lahore, Pakistan, for an urgent meeting with the PCB and ICC. After the meeting, he will return to Dhaka this afternoon.” Earlier, on the BCB’s decision to withdraw from the T20 World Cup 2026, citing security concerns, he said, “Since the Indian government and IPL officials cannot guarantee the security of one player, how can they provide security to our whole team?” ICC seeks a reason from PCB for not playing against India The ICC has sought a justification from the PCB on why the team has decided to pull out of just one match while being cleared to compete in the remainder of the tournament based on the instructions of the government. The apex cricket body stated the specific conditions under which the ‘Force Majeure’ clause can be invoked and also said that legitimate evidence would be required for non-participation. This was after the PCB had written to the ICC seeking the invocation of the ‘Force Majeure’ clause on their stance to boycott the India match. The PCB is said to have written to the ICC about the potential damages that the apex body could claim from Pakistan in case of not abiding by the agreement of playing all matches in the tournament. As per Cricbuzz, the ICC and the PCB have started discussions on these issues. Earlier, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had reaffirmed his government’s decision of boycotting the match against India. “There should be no politics in sports,” Sharif had said. Also read: Bangladesh withdrew from T20 WC after Mustafizur Rahman row The whole controversy emerged after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) excluded Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026 after threats from groups amid anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh. Bangladesh then announced that they will not be sending their men’s national team to play in India in the T20 World Cup. Despite several rounds of discussions with the ICC, Bangladesh remained firm in their stance and were eventually removed from the T20 World Cup. Also read: Bangladesh sends shooting contingent to India after World Cup boycott: BCB refused to send cricket team citing security reasons; Robiul Islam to compete in 10m air rifle event.