No ICC Board meeting so far; no progress on Pakistan's threat

Status quo continues over the T20 World Cup and Pakistan's threat to boycott the India game on February 15 in Colombo. There is no immediate information of a board meeting. Having issued a strong statement that it will not tolerate selective participation, the ball is now in Pakistan's court.

There are 16 members on the ICC Board, and according to multiple directors spoken to, there is no information about any Board meeting. In fact, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to formally write to the ICC about its decision to forfeit the marquee game. All that exists in writing is a post from the Government of Pakistan on X (formerly Twitter). Social media posts are not treated as official communication.

As reported yesterday, there is an impression that the PCB will eventually fall in line. One may recall that the PCB took the decision to participate in an Asia Cup game last September just about half an hour before the scheduled start, after threatening to pull out all day. Starting today, there are two weeks until the match.

The ICC has already made its views clear, stating it won't reconcile with selective participation.

It said on Sunday night, "While the ICC awaits official communication from the 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.

"ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions."