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The Pakistan Cricket Board has supported Bangladesh's stance of refusing to travel to India for their T20 World Cup matches, citing "security concerns" in an official communication to the ICC, according to a report in 'ESPNCricinfo'.
The ICC board members are set to meet on Wednesday to decide on Bangladesh's participation in the mega-event. The discussions will primarily focus on whether the Bangla Tigers will travel to India for the marquee tournament, which starts on February 7.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play their group-stage matches in India, with the opening three games slated to be held in Kolkata and the remaining one in Mumbai.
However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board, after getting recommendations from its government, has stood firm on its stance, asking for a shift of its matches to co-hosts Sri Lanka, despite warnings of removal from the tournament.
Ahead of the much-awaited ICC meeting, the PCB wrote to the world cricket body stating that it backs the BCB's stance due to political tensions in the region and has kept all the ICC Board members in the loop, as per 'ESPNCricinfo'.
Despite multiple discussions on the issue, including a meeting in Dhaka last weekend, neither the ICC nor the BCB has changed its position.
The ICC insists on holding the tournament as per schedule, while BCB has remained adamant that it cannot send the team to India.
While PCB has not issued any public statement on the matter, it is believed that the letter was sent after the Bangladesh government had contacted Pakistan for support in the matter. On Tuesday, a PCB official ruled out Pakistan's withdrawal from the T20 WC, claiming that they have no grounds to do so.
Pakistan's fixtures will be held in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model, which was agreed with the BCCI and ICC till 2027.
The BCB-ICC saga started when IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released pacer Mustafizur Rahman following a directive from the BCCI, which referred to "recent developments all around". The decision, it is believed, was taken due to the massive uproar in the country over the brutal killings of Hindus in Bangladesh.
In response, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL in the country and officially communicated to the ICC their decision not to send the team to India for the T20 World Cup 2026.
