Pakistan backstabs Bangladesh: Mohsin Naqvi hails Sri Lanka president as 'Hero' for saving India vs Pakistan game; No mention of BCB
Zee News
The controversy began when Pakistan threatened to withdraw from the match in a show of solidarity with Bangladesh.
Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has publicly lauded Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for his critical role in ensuring the high-stakes India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match took place. The encounter, which was held on February 15, had been under severe threat of a boycott by Pakistan until a high-level diplomatic intervention resolved the impasse.
The Boycott Threat and the Bangladesh Context
The controversy began when Pakistan threatened to withdraw from the match in a show of solidarity with Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had been excluded from the tournament after refusing to play their scheduled matches on Indian soil. Pakistan initially supported this stance, citing concerns over what they described as the International Cricket Council’s double standards regarding tournament hosting and participation. This tension brought the most lucrative game in world cricket to the verge of cancellation.
The Heroic Intervention
According to Mohsin Naqvi, the situation was salvaged by a direct communication between the heads of state. Sri Lankan President Dissanayake made a timely phone call to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to address the stalemate. Reports suggest that the Sri Lankan leadership was deeply concerned about the massive financial repercussions and the potential damage to the cricket ecosystem if the game were to be abandoned.
