Following the drama involving India, Bangladesh and Pakistan in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has invited the heads of Asia’s five biggest cricketing nations and asked them to engage in dialogue.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam revealed the details to local daily *Prothom Alo* saying that the meeting will be held on the sidelines of the India vs Pakistan match in Colombo. The BCB chief said the main focus of the meeting would be on the India-Bangladesh-Pakistan relationship, which has become strained just ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup and has cast a stormy cloud over the cricketing world.
“During the India-Pakistan World Cup match on the 15th, the ICC wants the representatives of these five Asian nations to attend together, watch the match and engage in dialogue,” Aminul Islam said in an interview.
HIGH MEETING OF THE ICC
The news of the ICC calling such a meeting comes after Pakistan reversed its earlier decision to boycott the T20 World Cup group stage match against India. Pakistan made a late change and reportedly kept cricket diplomacy in mind.
According to the BCB president, Pakistan was ready to boycott the match against India and he personally had to convince PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to reconsider, considering the financial implications. India vs. Pakistan is among the most lucrative matches in global sports, generating around US$250 million in broadcast revenue. Aminul Islam said that Bangladesh had urged Pakistan to play the game and pointed out that all cricketing countries would suffer if the ICC lost such revenue.
‘THEN THREATS TO BE DRAWN FROM THE TOILET’
Aminul Islam also claimed that Pakistan had threatened to withdraw completely from the 2026 FIFA T20 World Cup. He said that the ICC had come to realize that if Bangladesh did not participate and Pakistan also withdrew, the most commercially valuable matches of the tournament would be severely affected.
He added that such a scenario could have long-term consequences, affecting broadcast contracts and business deals tied to the tournament.
The Pakistan government eventually reversed its decision to boycott the India match late on 9 February. The reversal came a day after a marathon meeting involving officials from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC aimed at persuading Pakistan to back down from its threat.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government’s decision to lift the boycott was influenced by demands from “friendly countries”, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates, as well as “results achieved” through multilateral discussions.
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Issued by:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
February 12, 2026