The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have finally opened formal discussions over Pakistan’s marquee Men’s T20 World Cup clash against India.

The fate of the match remains uncertain after the Government of Pakistan recently announced on social media that the men’s team has been directed not to take the field against India in Colombo on February 15.

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The Hindu understands that the PCB has formally conveyed its inability to play the fixture, invoking the force majeure clause of the Members Participation Agreement (MPA), which covers unforeseen circumstances, including government directives. The onus is now on the ICC to determine whether it can persuade the PCB that forfeiting a match would be in violation of the MPA, which mandates that every member must play all scheduled matches in an ICC tournament.

Sanjog Gupta, the ICC’s chief executive, was present in Colombo on Saturday as Pakistan began its T20 World Cup campaign with a laboured win against the Netherlands. In the immediate aftermath of the Pakistan government’s social media post, the ICC had issued a statement warning that “selective participation” undermines “the spirit and sanctity” of global sporting events. The governing body had also urged the PCB to consider the “long-term implications” of such a decision.

Despite the earlier public posturing, the commencement of formal dialogue between the PCB and the ICC leaves a window open for the Pakistan authorities to reconsider their stance, with time still available for a resolution before the high-profile fixture.

What is Force Majeure?

Force majeure is a contractual provision that excuses a party from fulfilling its obligations due to extraordinary events beyond its control, such as war, natural disasters, government actions or public emergencies.

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For the clause to apply, the affected party must demonstrate that the event was unforeseeable, unavoidable and that it took all reasonable steps to mitigate the impact. Mere inconvenience or political preference does not ordinarily satisfy the test.

PCB engaged in structured dialogue

According to sources in the ICC, the global body has followed the same process that it followed with Bangladesh, which was also engaged for extensive deliberations for several days.

(with inputs from PTI)

Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information, Ata Tarar, has dismissed the International Cricket Council (ICC)’s statement on the deaths of three cricketers in Afghanistan for its “selective”, “biased” nature.

The ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had on Saturday (October 19, 2025) condoled the death of Afghanistan cricketers in an aerial attack at the Paktika Province without mentioning Pakistan in their respective statements.

The governing bodies reacted after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) decided to withdraw its team from a tri-series in Pakistan next month.

Pakistan Cricket Board had later announced that it will replace Afghanistan with Zimbabwe for the tri-series that also involves Sri Lanka.

“We dismiss and condemn this statement by the ICC, which gives the impression and makes claims that three Afghan cricketers were killed in Pakistan strikes,” Mr. Tarar said in a statement on Sunday (October 19, 2025).

“The ICC has not bothered to independently verify the claims by the Afghanistan board and issued a statement claiming a Pakistan attack,” he said.

The Minister said Pakistan itself had been a victim of terrorism for years and demanded the ICC correct its statement.

“It is strange that a few hours after the ICC statement,” the Chairman of the ICC Jay Shah repeated the same words on his social media account and the Afghanistan board followed with similar words.

“The Afghanistan board made statements without presenting any real evidence,” he added.

Several Afghan cricketers, including stars such as Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib, had condemned the aerial attack and the subsequent deaths in strong language through their social media posts on Saturday (October 18, 2025).

Mr. Tarar said the recent happenings, including the no-handshake episode in the recent Asia Cup, could be taken as a biased approach towards Pakistan cricket.

“This seriously raises questions on the ICC’s independence and unbiased approach. An international sports governing body should not be promoting a controversial claim yet to be verified.

“The ICC should remain independent and avoid making contentious statements on the incitement of others,” he said.