The Government of Pakistan, directed its national cricket team to take the field on February 15 for their scheduled fixture against the defending champions, India, in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, a video of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi mentioning Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir amid the match controversy has been widely shared on social media platforms.
The decision came after Naqvi, according to a statement by the Pakistan Government, briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the outcomes of high-level talks between the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Mohsin Naqvi’s viral video
Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister, brought up the name of Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir during a press conference.
According to an NDTV report, Naqvi made the remarks when asked about the ICC’s “threats” over Pakistan’s earlier boycott of the upcoming match against India.
“Neither am I afraid of threats, nor is the Government (of Pakistan), and as for Field Marshal, you already know about him,” Naqvi said.
Pakistan’s boycott
Pakistan had previously decided to boycott their group-stage World Cup match against arch-rivals India in support of Bangladesh, who were expelled from the tournament after the ICC rejected their request to shift match venues outside India over “security concerns”.
Following discussions with the ICC and other countries, Pakistan’s government has directed its cricket team to play the T20 World Cup match against India.
After ICC held a meeting with the PCB and the BCB at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday to discuss Pakistan’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match with India in Colombo, BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Monday also urged Pakistan to play their February 15 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup clash against India.
Earlier, according to ANI, the official X handle of the Pakistan Government announced that the Men in Green would not take the field in the Feb 15 clash, and later Pakistan PM Sharif linked this boycott to the controversy with Bangladesh, citing it as a symbol of solidarity.
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup, after their request to have all their matches played outside India could not be agreed upon by the ICC, which they put in place after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid concerns related to atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
