Pakistan set to make late call on T20 World Cup participation after Bangladesh boycott

Pakistan is poised to announce by next Monday its decision on participating in the T20 World Cup, following a dispute with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over Scotland’s inclusion at Bangladesh’s expense.

Mohsin Naqvi, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, confirmed on X that a "productive meeting" was held with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday regarding the World Cup.

Mr Sharif "directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table," Naqvi stated, adding that the "final decision (on Pakistan’s participation) will be taken either on Friday or next Monday."

The ICC’s decision on Saturday saw Scotland included in Group C alongside England, West Indies, Nepal and Italy, after Bangladesh’s request to move its games from India to co-host Sri Lanka due to security concerns was rejected.

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This move follows strained political and sporting relations, notably the removal of Bangladeshi paceman Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders IPL team this month by order of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

"You can’t have double standards," Naqvi said. "You can’t say for one country (India), they can do whatever they want, and for the others to have to do the complete opposite.

“That’s why we’ve taken this stand and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them. They should play in the World Cup, they are a major stakeholder in cricket."

Pakistan, who are also experiencing strained political relations with India, are scheduled to play their World Cup games in Sri Lanka, and they will face India in the group stage if they choose to travel to the tournament.

The group also contains the Netherlands, USA and Namibia.

The 20-nation tournament is set to run from 7 February to 8 March, and Pakistan are due to play in the opening match against the Netherlands.