BCB Chairman Islam reaches Pakistan for emergency ICC meeting: sources

LAHORE: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Chairman Aminul Islam has reached Pakistan to attend the emergency International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting, expected to be held virtually today, sources told Geo Super on Sunday.

According to the details, the global body is expected to convene an emergency meeting via video link today to address the uncertainty surrounding the blockbuster ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 fixture between Pakistan and India after the 2009 champions were barred from taking the field by their federal government.

Besides Pakistan, the crucial meeting is likely to be attended by other members of the council, including Bangladesh.

The insiders further suggested that Islam will also meet his Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) counterpart Mohsin Naqvi and will return to Bangladesh in the evening after attending the meeting.

The reports of the emergency ICC meeting came just days after the Indian media suggested that the global cricket governing body had begun exploring back-channel options to persuade Pakistan to reconsider its stance on the T20 World Cup 2026 fixture against India.

It is understood that ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja has been assigned the responsibility of initiating informal talks with Pakistan on the matter.

Khawaja, who represents the Singapore Cricket Association, has reportedly been tasked with engaging the PCB in an effort to convince it to agree to the high-profile encounter.

Indian media further claim that he has been asked to act as a mediator and initiate dialogue with the PCB to ease tensions surrounding the fixture.

Later that day, Prime Minister of Pakistan Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif called for the eradication of politics from sports as he backed the federal government's decision to bar the national team from taking the field against arch-rivals India at the 20-team mega event, scheduled to run from February 7 to March 8.

The Premier, while addressing the federal cabinet, termed the government's decision "appropriate", and shared that it was taken after a collective and careful deliberation in response to the politicisation of the sports.

"We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India," he said.

"There should be no politics in sports," he said. "We have taken this stand after deliberating on it carefully," he said, calling it an "appropriate decision".