T20 World Cup: Imran Khwaja given role to convince Pakistan to play India game

Imran Khwaja in the frame. (PC: ICC)

Imran Khwaja, the deputy chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC), has been given the responsibility to do back-channel negotiations and convince the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play the group league match of the T20 World Cup against India in Colombo on February 15, RevSportz understands. Khwaja represents the Singapore Cricket Association.

Hectic backroom parleys have been ongoing on the heels of the Pakistan government’s directive to the national team to boycott the group league game against India. Last Sunday, the Pakistan government put out a post on their X (formerly Twitter) handle that said: “The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February against India.”

The ICC responded to it by issuing a press release that said: “The ICC notes the statement that the government of Pakistan has made regarding the decision to instruct its national team to selectively participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

“While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule.”

It added: “The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of.”

The PCB hasn’t officially informed the ICC about selective participation yet. 

On the face of it, if Pakistan don’t turn up for their group league match against India, they will lose full points from the game and the entire net run rate. For other consequences, things go into complicated legal territory. 

At the moment, the entire thing is going through the process of back-channel negotiations, and Khwaja, who also served as the ICC’s interim chair, is trying to play the peacemaker. 

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