Naqvi calls out 'injustice' to Bangladesh as PCB weighs World Cup participation

Hours after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the T20 World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it was weighing its options about taking part in the global event starting on February 7.

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said he would seek the views of the government on participation in the tournament and went to the extent of saying he has contingency plans 'A, B, C and D.'

"I will follow the instructions of the government of Pakistan. The Prime Minister is not in Pakistan at the moment. We will give you a final decision when he returns," Naqvi told the media in Lahore. "We are more under the Government of Pakistan than the ICC, so we have to do what the government of Pakistan says."

He further said, "Look, if the government of Pakistan says that they don't want to play, then they [the ICC] can bring the 22nd team. But this decision has to be taken by the government of Pakistan."

The PCB has expressed solidarity with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in its demand for the relocation of their games out of India. Naqvi said the ICC's move to reject the BCB's demand was unfair.

"I think there has been injustice with Bangladesh, and I said the same in the ICC board meeting. You can't have double standards. You can't say that for one country you can make a decision whenever you want, and for another country you can make a totally opposite decision. That's why we have taken this stand – there is injustice with Bangladesh."

He said that Bangladesh is a big stakeholder and they have been unfairly treated in this case. "This I maintained in Wednesday's meeting as well and their stance has many factors which I will tell when the situation arrives," the PCB chief claimed.