Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi will travel to Colombo to watch Sunday’s T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. During his visit, he is also expected to meet officials from the ICC after a brief boycott issue that had put the big match at risk.
According to a source, Naqvi will not be alone. Senior PCB officials, including Pakistan Super League CEO Salman Naseer and Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed, will also travel to Sri Lanka for the Group A game. The match is scheduled to begin in the evening at the R. Premadasa Stadium.
“The Sri Lankan board has invited officials from other boards as well but the reason for Naqvi going is to have discussions with ICC Chairman, Jay Shah and other officials on the sidelines to break the ice after the boycott fiasco,” the source said.
Earlier this month, tensions rose between the ICC and Pakistan. The Pakistan government had told its cricket team not to play the match against India in Colombo. This decision was made to support Bangladesh, which had refused to travel to India for its World Cup matches due to security concerns.
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After several days of serious discussions between the ICC, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the PCB, Pakistan changed its stance and confirmed that it would play against India. The source also said that senior officials from the Indian and Bangladesh cricket boards will be in Colombo.
There is a strong possibility that they could have an informal meeting with the ICC Chairman and other officials on the sidelines of the match. Before leaving for Colombo, the PCB chief met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Friday.
They talked about the current cricket situation and Pakistan’s approach towards the ICC and its relationships with other cricket boards.
“Naqvi will be in a position to have productive talks in Colombo having gotten clearance from the Premier,” the source said. Pakistan withdrew its boycott after Mohsin Naqvi met Bangladesh cricket chief Aminul Islam and ICC Deputy Chair Imran Khwaja in Lahore last Sunday.
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