There is no end to the drama in the cricketing world, with less than two weeks to go for the T20 World Cup. The mega event is scheduled to take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 and we have already witnessed a team being replaced over the weekend. After Bangladesh were ousted from the World Cup, Pakistan had threatened to pull out as well with the PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi stating that the team would follow what their government says in this regard.
Naqvi even tweeted on X after meeting the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that the final decision will be taken on Friday or Monday in the matter. Reports are surfacing that Pakistan are thinking of boycotting the marquee clash against India instead of pulling out of the entire T20 World Cup in protest to Bangladesh's exit from the tournament. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is in no mood to witness anymore drama ahead of the mega event.
The world cricketing body has already let Pakistan know about the severe complications if they take any extreme step during the World Cup. "Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz (Shahbaz) Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday," Naqvi said in a social media post on X.
ICC can suspend Pakistan from global and continental tournaments entirely
ICC is likely to impose massive sanctions on Pakistan and it will go well beyond the financial hit the PCB will suffer. Boycotting the India clash or the World Cup will be a breach of their participation agreement with the ICC. In this case, the cricketing body can suspend the men in green from global and continental tournaments like the World Cup and Asia Cup. Moreover, Pakistan could be isolated from the international cricket community and the withdrawal of NOCs for overseas players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is also likely.
For the same reason, even though several claims are being made, Pakistan might eventually end up playing the World Cup according to the schedule as they have no grounds to boycott as they are playing at a venue of their choosing.
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