Pakistan has expressed disappointment over International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to keep Bangladesh’s upcoming men’s T20 World Cup matches in India as planned. Pakistan has reportedly shown support for Bangladesh, but clarified that it is not considering withdrawing from the tournament.
Bangladesh requested ICC to shift its World Cup fixtures from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns. However, ICC rejected the request, prompting criticism from some former Pakistani cricketers and cricket insiders.
According to Telecom Asia Sport, Pakistani sources said that Pakistan supported Bangladesh’s stance in principle.
Their reasoning stems from a previous situation where Pakistan’s own matches were moved from Pakistan to Dubai at India’s insistence.
They feel that if Bangladesh raised similar concerns, it should have been treated similarly. This inconsistency has left Pakistani officials disappointed.
However, sources emphasized that Pakistan is not contemplating pulling out of World Cup. Since Pakistan is already scheduled to play its matches at a neutral venue, officials believe there is no security threat that would justify a boycott.
The idea of withdrawing has never been seriously considered, and there was no official threat from Pakistan to leave the tournament. Most of the rumours circulating online about a possible withdrawal are unverified.
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal also commented on the situation, saying ICC’s decision was predictable.
Akmal claimed that ICC tends to favor India and that all member countries should be treated equally. He cited examples such as the Champions Trophy and the hybrid model used for the 2023 Asia Cup, suggesting India’s influence due to its financial importance to the ICC.
Still, Wasim Akmal acknowledged that the decision was complex because the tournament schedule was already set, making a change difficult at this stage.
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