New Delhi: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday clarified that the earlier decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India was taken only to support Bangladesh and not for any political or personal motive. He said the objective was to highlight the unfair treatment faced by Bangladesh and to ensure that its concerns were properly addressed by the global cricket authorities.
The Pakistan government had announced earlier this month that the national team would not play the group stage match against India scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. The move followed the removal of Bangladesh from the tournament after it refused to play matches in India citing security reasons. The decision triggered intense negotiations between the PCB, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council.
Late on Monday night, Islamabad officially withdrew the boycott order and directed the team to participate in the fixture. Explaining the change, Naqvi said all discussions were focused only on Bangladesh. According to him, once the demands raised by Bangladesh were accepted and the injustice was acknowledged, there was no reason for Pakistan to stay away from the match.
He stressed that no personal interest was involved in the talks and the PCB acted purely on humanitarian and sporting grounds. Naqvi added that the government decision was based on the outcomes of the meetings and on requests from friendly nations that wanted the tournament to proceed smoothly.
The PCB chief had held a key meeting in Lahore on Sunday with his Bangladeshi counterpart Aminul Islam and ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja to find a solution to the deadlock. Following these talks, the Pakistan government issued a statement saying the team should take the field in order to protect the spirit of cricket and maintain continuity of the global event.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also received a call from Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who urged that the match be allowed to go ahead. After these diplomatic efforts, Islamabad formally ended the boycott, clearing the way for the high profile contest with India to take place as scheduled.
