An interesting claim has surfaced regarding Bangladesh’s ICC T20 World Cup venue shift drama, with a report suggesting that Pakistan has offered to host the team.
After the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send its team to India for the upcoming tournament, in which they have to play four Group Stage matches in the country.
They have asked to have their games hosted in Sri Lanka (the co-host) instead, however, the ICC hasn’t announced a final decision as of this writing.
Pakistan Interested In Hosting Bangladesh For T20 World Cup
According to a report by Geo Super, Pakistan have signalled their willingness to stage Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches if Sri Lanka is unable to host them.
An unnamed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) source was qouted informing the publication that the country is ready to accommodate the fixtures:
“The sources further stated that Pakistan has already successfully hosted major ICC events, including the Champions Trophy 2025 and the ICC Women’s Qualifier, and is therefore capable of organising these matches smoothly as well,”
Notably, Pakistan will also not be travelling to India for the T20 World Cup, and will play their matches in Sri Lanka.
All of this came after India had refused to travel to Pakistan for their ICC Champions Trophy matches in early 2025, playing their fixtures, including one against Pakistan, in Dubai.
They eventually reached the final, which saw even that fixture shifting venues from Lahore to Dubai, in which India beat New Zealand to lift the trophy for the first time since 2013.
Having said that, it is worth noting that India’s decision to not play in Pakistan (as well as Pakistan’s to not play the T20 World Cup in India) was made well in advance.
Bangladesh’s plea, on the other hand, has come in at almost the last minute, going through with which could result in logistical problems for the ICC and host nations.
