T20 World Cup: Bangladesh request Pakistan play fixture against India

Bangladesh demanded that Pakistan end its planned boycott of the T20 World Cup match against India, paving the way for the match to be played on February 15 as planned.

The match, the biggest and most lucrative match in cricket, has been in doubt ever since the Pakistani government advised the team not to field against their long-time rivals.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the initial decision was taken to “support” Bangladesh, whose request to move its matches from India was rejected and subsequently withdrew from the tournament.

However, following talks held in Lahore on Sunday between Pakistan Cricket Board, International Cricket Council and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials, BCB president Ameenul Islam demanded that the match go ahead “for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem”.

“We are deeply impressed by Pakistan’s efforts to go further to support Bangladesh during this period. May our brotherhood prosper for a long time to come,” he added.

The match is planned to be played in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which is the co-host of the tournament with India.

Pakistan will lose points from the group stage match if it is not played, but the team’s absence from the tournament will also have long-term consequences for cricket.

This could lead to controversy over the ICC’s existing rights deals, and continued uncertainty as current TV deals expire after the 2027 World Cup is likely to impact future deals.

Most minor cricket-playing nations rely on money distributed by the ICC, so any cut in revenue is likely to affect these countries the most.

“Following my brief visit to Pakistan yesterday and considering the future outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup match against India on February 15 for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem,” Islam said. he said.

The ICC and PCB were contacted for comment.