- ICC tasks Vice President Imran Khwaja to hold talks.
- The ICC official is seen as a neutral figure who can speak to all parties.
- Pakistan will boycott February 15 match against India.
LAHORE: In the wake of Pakistan’s announcement not to play its 2026 T20 World Cup match against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked its vice-president Imran Khwaja to hold secondary talks 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 speak to all parties, has been asked to convince Pakistan to play their 2026 T20 World Cup group match against India on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, reported First message.
The report comes as the Pakistani government announced on Sunday that it would participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup but would boycott the match against arch-rivals India.
Geographic news Earlier reported that Pakistan had decided to boycott the February 15 match to show solidarity with Bangladesh, who was expelled from the tournament by the ICC.
The ICC had rejected Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to shift its matches to a venue outside India. The BCB had requested 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 cricket body then replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, stating that it was not feasible to revise the schedule so close to February 7, the start of the World Cup.
Meanwhile, many 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”.
Sources said ICC chief Jay Shah’s one-sided decisions had effectively made the International Cricket Council an extension of the Indian cricket board.
They further said that these biased decisions have undermined the principles of justice and equality, accusing the ICC of applying different standards to different countries on its platform.
The ICC, in its statement, has since expressed hope that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will work towards a “mutually acceptable resolution”.
While recognizing the prerogative of national governments, the ICC publicly urged the PCB to reconsider its decision, arguing that the decision is detrimental to the sport and its global fan base.
The council encouraged the Pakistani board to seek a mutually acceptable solution that protects the interests of all stakeholders in the game, saying the boycott decision was not “in the interests of the global game or the well-being of fans around the world, including millions in Pakistan.”
Losses for broadcasters
It is pertinent to know that Indian broadcasters are facing possible losses of billions due to Pakistan’s announcement to boycott their match against India.
The Green Shirts are in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands and the United States, and play all their matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting 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 will then face the United States on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.
The India-Pakistan match is the most commercially lucrative game, funding the tournament, driving broadcast ratings, sponsorship deals and advertising premiums.
In commercial terms, the total value of a single T20 match between India and Pakistan is around $500 million, approximately Rs 45,000 crore when taking into account broadcast rights, advertising premiums, sponsorship activations, ticket sales and subsequent commercial activity.
According to a report, advertising slots during a T20 match between India and Pakistan range between INR 25 lakh and INR 40 lakh for a 10-second slot, 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 Rs 300 crore, the Indian publication suggests citing industry projections.
According to reports, both the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) would face an estimated immediate loss of around Rs 200 crore.
