Bangladesh have requested that Pakistan end their planned boycott of their T20 World Cup match against India, opening the door for the fixture to be played on 15 February as scheduled.
The match, the biggest and most lucrative in cricket, has been in doubt since the Pakistan government advised its team not to take the field against their long-time rivals.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that initial decision was made to “support” Bangladesh, who had a request for their matches to be moved out of India rejected and subsequently pulled out of the tournament.
But, after talks between officials at the Pakistan Cricket Board, the International Cricket Council and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Lahore on Sunday, BCB president Ameenul Islam requested the match go ahead “for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem”.
“We are deeply moved by Pakistan’s efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish,” he added.
The match is scheduled to take place in the city of Colombo in Sri Lanka, who are the co-hosts for the tournament with India.
Pakistan will forfeit the points from the group-stage match should it not be played but the team’s absence from the tournament would also have longer-term consequences for cricket.
It could lead to disputes over the ICC’s current rights deals and continued uncertainty would likely impact future agreements, with the current TV deals set to run out after the 2027 World Cup.
Many of the smaller cricketing nations rely on the money distributed by the ICC, so any cut in revenue would likely hit such countries hardest.
“Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem,” Islam said.
The ICC and PCB have been contacted for comment.