Calm before the storm as ICC, PCB and BCCI play waiting game

It's all quiet on the ICC-Pakistan-India front—potentially the proverbial calm before the storm. Three days since the Government of Pakistan announced a boycott of the February 15 India game at the Twenty20 World Cup, not much has progressed. The International Cricket Council (ICC), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and even the host Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appear to be adopting a wait-and-watch policy.

The belief is that the boycott may not necessarily be the last word, although it remains a possibility given the decision came from the Government of Pakistan. With Pakistan, however, nothing can be taken for granted until the last hour, as seen during the Asia Cup last year.

An act of truancy is unlikely to be viewed lightly by the ICC Board and its members. Serious retribution would almost certainly follow, though that would be post facto. There have been some murmurs that interlocutors from both sides are engaged in back-channel discussions, but there is no confirmation.

Meanwhile, claims in the Pakistan media suggested ICC chair Jay Shah and CEO Sanjog Gupta flew to Mumbai to discuss the repercussions of Pakistan's pullout with Mukesh Ambani, owner of JioStar, the official broadcaster. However, the facts are different.

Shah and Gupta have been in Milan for the last few days on an International Olympic Committee (IOC) invite, attending the 145th IOC session. They engaged with European Associate nations like Svenska Cricketforbundet (Sweden), Deutscher Cricket Bund (Germany), and Jersey Cricket Board, among others.

During the meeting, Shah encouraged the European federations to continue their hard work and emphasized long-term development within the ICC framework. He acknowledged progress across Europe and highlighted the strong potential of emerging associate members.

"The hard work of the European cricket federations is appreciated. The potential of cricket in Europe is significant, and emerging associate members have the opportunity to progress further through continued effort, performance and development, in line with ICC's processes, regulations and established pathways," said Tariq Zuwak, chairman of Swedish Cricket.

Zuwak added that the ICC leadership underlined the importance of structured growth and sustainable development, with a clear pathway for associate members to advance. He also revealed that ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta assured them nascent markets needed innovative approaches for growth, including experimentation with new formats and structures.