The International Cricket Council is set to call a board meeting to discuss Pakistan’s threat to boycott their T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. Sources told India Today that the ICC board is likely to meet either on Tuesday or Wednesday to deliberate on the issue and decide its next course of action.
Despite the Pakistan government announcing on social media on Sunday that the national team will not play against India, ICC sources said the global body is yet to receive any official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board on the matter.
On Sunday, hours after the government’s decision was made public, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha stated that the senior national team would abide by whatever decision the government takes, adding that the matter does not lie in the cricket board’s hands.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s Interior Minister, has remained silent on the issue. This comes despite his earlier remarks about Pakistan potentially boycotting the entire tournament — a stance that has since mellowed to only boycotting the match against India — in a bid to show solidarity with Bangladesh.
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland after refusing to travel to India citing security concerns, claims that were denied by the ICC.
Meanwhile, sources told India Today that the ICC is considering severe sanctions if Pakistan indeed don't turn up to play India on February 15.
On the field, Pakistan will lose two points if they forfeit the match and their Net Run Rate will take a massive hit.
Off the field, the likely ICC sanctions might spell doom for the future of Pakistan cricket.
As per sources, the sanctions may include
- No permission for foreign players to feature in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and withdrawal of international recognition and commercial backing for the T20 league.
- A massive cut in payout of funds to Pakistan from the ICC revenue, on which the PCB heavily relies on.
- Asking PCB to compensate the broadcaster for the massive revenue loss due to the India vs Pakistan no-show in the T20 World Cup.
- Suspension of all bilateral series involving Pakistan.
In an official statement, ICC warned Pakistan of the fallout and urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to consider the long-term implications before taking a final call.
"While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan.
"The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of."
India vs Pakistan continues to be one of the most-watched fixtures in world cricket, despite Pakistan struggling to live up to the hype in recent years. Since 2012, the ICC has ensured that India and Pakistan are drawn into the same group at major events.
Last year, India and Pakistan faced each other as many as three times within the space of a month during the Asia Cup, generating billions in revenue for broadcasters.
If Pakistan forfeit the match against India later this month, broadcasters are likely to put significant pressure on the ICC — a situation that is unlikely to turn out well for Pakistan.
Refusals to play are not unprecedented. Australia and West Indies did not travel to Sri Lanka during the 1996 World Cup due to security concerns. In the 2003 World Cup, England declined to play Zimbabwe for political reasons, while New Zealand skipped a group match against Kenya in Nairobi. None of those cases, however, involved a high-profile boycott, announced in the eleventh hour.
