Pakistan all but confirm T20 World Cup participation despite Mohsin Naqvi’s laughable threats

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is currently in a confusing phase, all thanks to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Even though there is still no clear confirmation about Pakistan playing in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the team is fully preparing to leave for Colombo.

Pakistan set to fly out with Australia for T20 World Cup 2026

As per the current plan, the Pakistan National Cricket Team will fly out from Lahore on Monday, February 1, along with the Australian cricket team, on the same flight.

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Final call awaited from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi

By the time the Men in Blue depart, a final decision is expected from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. This decision will finally clarify whether Pakistan will take part in the T20 World Cup 2026 or not.

Sources quoted as saying by Telecom Asia Sport: “Despite the uncertainty over participation in the World Cup, the Pakistan team is booked to fly out to Colombo with the Australian team via Air Lanka from Lahore. We hope that by Friday, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi will have cleared the team’s participation in the mega event.”

Bangladesh row triggers Pakistan drama

All the drama issues started after Pakistan showed support for Bangladesh. Recently, Bangladesh was removed from the T20 World Cup 2026 by the ICC after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) asked for their matches to be shifted from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns.

The ICC refused this request even after doing its own security checks and giving safety assurances. Bangladesh stayed firm on its stand and refused to play in India, which led to their removal from the tournament. Later, Scotland was drafted as their replacement in the tournament.

The PCB then decided to stand with BCB, and this created doubts over their own participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. Mohsin Naqvi has openly maintained that the Pakistan government will take the call.

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High-level talks within Pakistan over the T20 World Cup 2026

Since then, many high-level meetings have taken place. Naqvi met Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Islamabad to seek advice. The Prime Minister supported Pakistan’s stand in backing Bangladesh but clearly advised against boycotting the World Cup, as it could cause huge financial losses to Pakistan cricket.

Sources revealed that Naqvi also discussed the matter with President Asif Ali Zardari and senior military officials. After that, he spoke with former PCB chiefs Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja. All of them shared the same view that Pakistan should go ahead and “play the T20 World Cup 2026” and “advised against boycotting” the India game.

Even with doubts, the Pakistan camp stays ready to fly

Amidst all this confusion, the team’s preparations are moving normally. Pakistan is also scheduled to play a three-match T20I series against Australia in Lahore starting Thursday, January 29, before the global event. And players have been told to stay positive and ready for the T20 World Cup 2026.

The sources added, “All players have been instructed to remain positive about participating in the World Cup. Some players from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have brought all their luggage from home, anticipating they will be out of the country for over a month.”