Relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh have indicated a new turn after some important comments made by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s Interior Minister.
In a fresh statement, Naqvi claimed that only because of Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he withdrew the stance of boycotting the India match. Mohsin Naqvi called Dissanayake a “real hero”.
PCB decided to boycott India vs Pakistan match
Through an official statement on social media platforms, the Government of Pakistan informed that they will not take the field to play against India on 15 February. It is believed that the official statement was heavily influenced by Naqvi.
The PCB chief held a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the situation following Bangladesh’s exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2026.
Why did Pakistan adopt the boycott stance against ICC?
The International Cricket Council (ICC) ruled out the Bangladesh cricket team from major tournaments after they refused to travel to India for their 2026 T20 World Cup group matches citing ‘safety and security’ concerns.
The council gave an ultimatum to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to reconsider its decision, but BCB officials stuck to their position and were thrown out of the tournament.
As ICC ruled out Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan came into the scene, creating a fresh tension before the start of the competition. Pakistan said that they would participate in the tournament but would not play against India.
To ease the matter, the ICC held a meeting with the PCB in the presence of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Malaysian cricket representatives. The meeting proved fruitful. After the discussion, Pakistan took a U-turn and went to play the match with India in Colombo on 15 February.
A few days later, after the India vs Pakistan match, Mohsin Naqvi revealed that only because of a phone call from Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, he reversed his boycott call.
Mohsin Naqvi called Sri Lankan President a real hero
Mohsin Naqvi thanked the Sri Lankan President and said, “You were the real hero because because of you 2 billion people were entertained. It was because of you that we played the match. As soon as the Prime Minister called, he called me and said there is no issue now and the President has called me and we have to play the match.”
According to media reports, Dissanayake was worried about financial losses if the India vs Pakistan match was cancelled. Additionally, in recent times, Sri Lanka traveled to Pakistan to play matches in an attempt to improve its relations with Pakistan again.
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