Amid tensions between Bangladesh and India, and uncertainty over the former’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup due to security concerns, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has ordered to completely halt Green Shirt’s preparations for the tournament.
Reports citing sources claimed that the PCB chief has told team management to wait for further instructions and prepare a contingency plan in case the country does not participate in the World Cup.
The claims come after Pakistan reportedly threw its full support behind Bangladesh’s decision to skip T20 World Cup matches in India, offering to raise the matter with the International Cricket Council (ICC) if needed.
According to reports, the PCB will stand by Bangladesh’s stance on player safety, calling the security concerns reasonable and valid.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also expressed interest in hosting Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches after the team refused to travel to India, highlighting its successful hosting of the Champions Trophy and the ICC Women’s Qualifier as evidence of its ability to host World Cup matches.
It may be noted that tensions between Bangladesh and India started to rise when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) removed Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) over Hindutva extremists’ threats rooted in violence against Hindus in and around Dhaka.
In response, Bangladesh banned IPL broadcast in the country, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested the ICC to shift its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka.
Reports added that the ICC had previously accepted security concerns as valid grounds when India refused to tour Pakistan for last year’s Champions Trophy, and similar reasoning should apply now.
Pakistan, out of similar concerns, will also play all their matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament.
For now, Bangladesh are due to play three matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai as the ICC is yet to make a final decision on the matter.
The opening match of the tournament is less than two weeks away on Feb 7.