‘Was ICC sleeping 3 years ago?’ Kamran Akmal wants Pakistan to stick to India game boycott at T20 World Cup

After the Pakistan government announced that they would boycott the India game via a tweet, the ICC posted a statement where it mentioned that it was yet to receive a formal communication from the PCB about the boycott.

Pakistan team in action. (FILE photo)

3 min readFeb 3, 2026 01:38 PM IST First published on: Feb 3, 2026 at 01:38 PM IST

Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for its position urging Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to reconsider their boycott of the game against India at the upcoming T20 World Cup, to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

After Bangladesh pulled out of the T20 World Cup citing security concerns, Pakistan’s government too had stated that its team would not play against India. This led to the ICC asking the Pakistan Cricket Board to reconsider its stance.

While the Pakistan Cricket Board is yet to officially inform the ICC about the decision to boycott the India game, former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal advocated for the PCB to stand firm on the decision.

“PCB should not back down! The ICC has told the Pakistan Cricket Board to reconsider its stance of boycotting the India game. Was ICC sleeping when the Asia Cup happened in the hybrid model? Was ICC sleeping when India said it would not play the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and only play on a neutral venue? How many times has Pakistan played in India, despite the heightened tensions between the two countries. I have gone myself. The ICC should have thought of these things three years back!” Akmal said on the YouTube channel ‘Game Plan’.

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Akmal continued: “The two countries have not played bilateral series for years now. Wasn’t that also politics? Shouldn’t the ICC have thought of ending the politics then? The PCB’s decision should be respected just as we respected India’s decision to play in hybrid model. Things had gotten to such extreme levels. At the Asia Cup, they refused to shake hands with our players, then refused to accept the trophy (from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi. They had disrespected us!”

After the Pakistan government announced that they would boycott the India game via a tweet, the ICC posted a statement where it mentioned that it was yet to receive a formal communication from the PCB about the boycott.

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“While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (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,” the ICC statement read.

“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of… ICC expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders.”