Islamabad/Dhaka:- A big relief news has come out for cricket lovers. The Pakistan government has withdrawn its decision to boycott the match against India in the T20 World Cup. Now this exciting match between India and Pakistan will be held on February 15 in Colombo as per its scheduled date.
This decision has been taken after the appeal of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and political interference. The Pakistan government issued a statement saying that in order to uphold the appeal of its friendly countries and the spirit of the game, they have decided to field their team. Earlier, the President of Sri Lanka and the Head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board had appealed to Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to resolve the matter.
It is worth mentioning that Bangladesh had refused to play the T20 World Cup matches in India citing security reasons, due to which Bangladesh was dropped from the tournament and Scotland was included in its place. Pakistan was supporting Bangladesh on this issue. However, ICC has now clarified that no fine will be imposed on Bangladesh and they can also be given the opportunity to host a major tournament in the future.
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that this decision has been taken not under any fear or pressure, but in the interest of the spirit. With this agreement, the clouds of crisis hanging over the World Cup have been lifted and now all eyes are on this big match to be held on February 15.
Earlier, Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met his Bangladesh counterpart Aminul Islam and ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Khawaja was nominated by the ICC as an arbitrator on this controversial issue and he (Khawaja) had been in talks with Mohsin Naqvi for some time. Bangladesh Cricket Board Chairman Aminul was already in Lahore and met Naqvi.