Pakistan to play India under 3 conditions, reports media

After the Pakistan government announced it would not play against India in the T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) stepped in. ICC Deputy Chair Imran Khwaja travelled to Pakistan yesterday, Sunday in an effort to bring the country back from the boycott.

There, Imran Khwaja held talks with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, as well as Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam.

According to Telecom Asia Sport, Pakistan placed three conditions for reconsidering its decision on the India match during a meeting that lasted more than five hours on Sunday night. India’s NDTV has also reported on the three conditions, citing sources, though the nature of the conditions they reported is different.

While Pakistani media have reported on the ICC-PCB-BCB meeting, they have not clearly stated whether Pakistan formally put forward any conditions.

However, Geo News reported that the PCB chairman is expected to meet Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif within the next one or two days to learn the government’s final position on the match against India. A final decision on the match scheduled for 15 February is expected after that.

India’s Hindustan Times, citing Telecom Asia Sport, reported that the PCB has given the ICC three conditions for withdrawing from the decision to boycott the India match. The first condition is an increase in the amount of dividends. Pakistan wants a larger share of the funds it currently receives from the ICC.

The second condition is the resumption of bilateral series between India and Pakistan. The two countries have not played a bilateral series since 2013, largely due to India’s reluctance. Pakistan wants bilateral cricket between the two sides to restart.

The third condition relates to conduct. During the 2025 Asia Cup, Indian players did not exchange customary handshakes with Pakistani players. Pakistan has said it does not want to see such behaviour repeated.

A source told Telecom Asia Sport, “During the meeting, the PCB chairman raised several conditions with the ICC, including an increase in Pakistan’s annual allocation, the resumption of bilateral series against India, and the introduction of handshakes in India–Pakistan matches.”

India’s NDTV also reported that Pakistan had set three conditions, but these were centred on Bangladesh.

According to the source, the PCB told ICC officials that: 1) Bangladesh should be given enhanced compensation for not being able to play in the T20 World Cup, 2) Bangladesh should be paid the T20 World Cup participation fee, and 3) Bangladesh should be given the right to host a future ICC tournament.

Although the Bangladesh government had requested that its World Cup matches be relocated to Sri Lanka, the ICC did not agree and instead excluded Bangladesh from the tournament. Following this, the Pakistan government announced a boycott of the India match, prompting the ICC to enter discussions on the issue.