PCB writes to ICC supporting Bangladesh in T20 World Cup 2026 controversy

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to make a final decision today on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026, which will start on February 7. A day before this, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) became part of the controversy by writing to the ICC. They supported the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) decision not to send their team to India for the event, citing security concerns.

The timing of PCB’s email will raise questions, as it was also sent to members of the ICC Board, according to a report by ESPNCricinfo. The ICC has called a Board meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue, which has been pending for weeks.

However, PCB’s support for Bangladesh is not expected to change the ICC’s decision. The ICC is firm on not changing the World Cup schedule and plans to have Bangladesh play their matches in Sri Lanka. The ICC has made this clear to the BCB in earlier discussions.

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Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup Participation Hangs in the Balance

The two parties have met several times to discuss the issue, with the latest meeting held over the weekend in Dhaka. However, neither the ICC nor Bangladesh has changed their stance.

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Deadline Looms as Uncertainty Continues

The ICC has set January 21, Wednesday, as the final deadline to make a decision. This is to ensure that if Bangladesh pulls out, a new team will have at least 15 days to prepare for the T20 World Cup.

Interestingly, the PCB’s recent involvement comes amid speculation that they had offered to host Bangladesh’s World Cup matches in Pakistan. It was also reported that Pakistan’s participation in the tournament could depend on what happens with Bangladesh. However, none of these reports or speculations were confirmed by any PCB official.

Bangladesh captain Litton Das confirmed on Tuesday that the players are unsure about the situation and declined to comment on the team’s participation. “Are you sure that we are going to the World Cup? In reality, there is still a long time left before the World Cup, and we are not even sure whether we will go or not,” Das said.

He added, “If we had known who our group opponents were or which country we were going to, that would have helped,” while speaking to the media.