Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has stated that the International Cricket Council (ICC) acknowledged the "injustice" done to Bangladesh regarding their initial exclusion from the T20 World Cup. Naqvi also clarified that Pakistan's decision to eventually participate in the tournament, reversing an earlier boycott, was not contingent on any personal gains or deals.

The controversy arose after Bangladesh refused to play their T20 World Cup matches in India, citing security concerns amidst strained political relations between the two nations. The ICC then rejected Bangladesh's request to move their matches to Sri Lanka and replaced them with Scotland in the tournament, which began on February 7.

Pakistan expressed solidarity with Bangladesh and initially announced a boycott of their group-stage match against India in protest of the ICC's decision. This transformed the scheduling dispute into a significant political issue. Naqvi emphasized that Pakistan's sole objective in meetings with the ICC and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials was to ensure respect for Bangladesh and highlight the injustice they faced.

Speaking to the media in Peshawar on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, Naqvi addressed reports of conditions put forward during his meeting with ICC and BCB officials. "We did not discuss anything apart from Bangladesh; our only purpose was to get Bangladesh respect, to highlight the injustice done to them," Naqvi stated. He further added, "We had no personal interest in the meeting … our task was purely related to Bangladesh. The government made the decision on that [basis]".

Naqvi refuted claims that Pakistan was seeking any specific concessions for itself during the discussions with the ICC. He clarified that Pakistan's only goal was to ensure Bangladesh's concerns were addressed and that the ICC acknowledged the injustice.

Following these discussions, the ICC issued a statement confirming that no penalties or sanctions would be imposed on Bangladesh. The ICC also offered compensation by granting Bangladesh the opportunity to host a major ICC event before the 2031 World Cup.

The PCB spokesperson, Amir Mir, stated that following the ICC's press release, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Pakistani cricket team to play the match against India on February 15. This directive formally ended Pakistan's threatened boycott.

Pakistan's decision to proceed with the match against India has been welcomed as a display of "good sense" and beneficial for cricket. The resolution followed negotiations between the ICC, PCB, and BCB, as well as consultations among national leaders and interventions from countries like Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.