Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Former Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi has made a startling claim about the Pakistan government’s recent U-turn in the T20 World Cup standoff, insisting that it was the International Cricket Council that stepped back, not Pakistan.
The India-Pakistan group match in the 2026 T20 World Cup will now go ahead as scheduled on February 15 in Colombo after Pakistan’s government withdrew its boycott call. The decision followed days of negotiations involving the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board, bringing an end to a tense impasse that had cast a shadow over the tournament.
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Sethi, however, offered a sharply different interpretation of how events unfolded. “In fact, it’s the ICC that has taken a step back. I think the ICC has decided to back off a little bit, give Bangladesh some space. It was a very considered decision from Pakistan. They looked at all the angles. They knew that there could be no sanctions. They consulted the top lawyers at home and abroad,” Sethi told India Today.
“And there are precedents that made it clear to them that they were on a very strong wicket. And at best, they would lose a point, no more than that. And I think the ICC also realised that, which is why then the ICC got into motion and made overtures. That’s how Imran Khawaja, the deputy chief, got into action. That’s how the Bangladeshis got into action. That’s how they came to Pakistan to negotiate so that Pakistan could play this match,” Sethi added.
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The standoff had begun earlier this month when Pakistan’s government announced that its national team would not take the field against India in their group fixture in Colombo. The move created uncertainty around what is widely regarded as the commercial centrepiece of the tournament.
Behind the scenes, discussions intensified between the PCB, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the ICC. Bangladesh had earlier been under pressure for refusing to play in India citing security concerns, and the ICC was faced with the challenge of preserving both the tournament schedule and its governance framework.
According to sources, Pakistan approached the negotiations with a series of demands. These included pushing for India to resume bilateral cricket and floating the idea of a tri-series involving India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The ICC, whose constitution does not permit intervention in bilateral matters between boards, did not entertain those requests.
What emerged instead was an understanding that Bangladesh would not face sanctions and that its revenue share would remain protected. Najam Sethi believes that became a significant outcome of the negotiations. He also suggested that the 15-day notice issued by Pakistan was part of a calculated strategy rather than a reactionary move.
“And I think one of the reasons that Pakistan gave a 15-day notice was that they wanted space with which to talk to the ICC and Bangladesh. And I think they had reason to believe that that would yield some results. And so I think the ICC has decided to back off a little bit, give Bangladesh some space. And I think Pakistan has achieved part of its objective, which was to get Bangladesh back in the game in one way or another, because the ICC was threatening them with all manner of sanctions. Pakistan knew that the broadcasters had the ICC, as it were, on a cold slab.”
‘PAKISTAN DOES NOT RELY ON ICC REVENUE’
Najam Sethi also claimed that the days when Pakistan relied on the ICC for financial sustenance, like many other boards, were over. He argued that the Pakistan Cricket Board now earns more from its own T20 league, the Pakistan Super League, than from ICC revenue distributions.
However, according to a PTI report, the PCB could have faced significant financial consequences if the ICC’s governing board had decided to penalise them for refusing to play the T20 World Cup match against India on February 15 in Colombo.
As per details cited by PTI, Pakistan’s share in the ICC’s 2024–27 financial cycle is approximately USD 144 million, with the PCB entitled to receive up to USD 38 million annually at the highest payout rate. The same report noted that the PCB’s other major revenue stream includes around USD 42 million in franchise fees from the Pakistan Super League starting from its 11th edition this year, following the addition of two new teams.
“And so as far as the question of resources is concerned, there was a time when Pakistan used to rely on ICC resources for sustenance like many of the other boards do, but not anymore. Now that the PSL has taken off in a big way, we get more money from the PSL than we get from the ICC. So Pakistan is well looked after by its own resources. So there was never an issue – never an issue. And I think, between you and me, going forward, maybe in March, you will see some other concessions that have been extracted from the ICC,” he added.
The ICC and Pakistan government announced late on Monday that the February 15 fixture would proceed in Colombo, effectively ending the ten-day deadlock.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
