The 2026 T20 World Cup saga has taken yet another dramatic turn. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday finally announced its long-pending decision to remove Bangladesh from the tournament after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to travel to India, citing security concerns.
However, with just over ten days remaining before the tournament opener on February 7, the door has not been shut completely. There remains a slim but significant possibility that Bangladesh could yet be reinstated, depending on how events unfold in the coming days.
The potential twist hinges on Pakistan, the only Full Member nation to publicly support Bangladesh’s demand to shift its matches out of India — a request the ICC rejected after an independent security assessment and citing major logistical challenges.
According to a Hindustan Times report, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is weighing the option of boycotting the World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh. Should Pakistan take that extraordinary step, the ICC is expected to offer Bangladesh the first right of refusal as a replacement.
“If Pakistan decide to withdraw, Bangladesh would be given the opportunity to replace them in Group A and play all their matches in Sri Lanka as per the BCB’s original request. This arrangement would pose limited logistical challenges,” an official was quoted as saying.
Pakistan have already announced their World Cup squad, but a final decision on participation is still pending. PCB chairman and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has described the ICC’s decision to omit Bangladesh as an “injustice” and said the board would seek guidance from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before making a final call.
Naqvi indicated on Monday that a decision could come by Friday or next Monday, leaving little room for contingency planning should Pakistan withdraw from Group A. The report further noted that such a move would likely violate an existing agreement between the PCB, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the ICC.
“It was on the PCB’s insistence that the hybrid model was finalised between the Indian and Pakistani boards. By not playing, they would be violating a deal they themselves had worked for,” the official added.
Adding another layer of uncertainty, Pakistani media reports suggest the PCB is also exploring a partial participation model — travelling for the tournament but boycotting the February 15 clash against India in Colombo.
With politics, diplomacy and cricket now deeply intertwined, the ICC faces mounting pressure as it scrambles to safeguard the credibility of one of its marquee events.
