The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might have mistakenly confirmed the men’s team’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup. On Friday (January 30) night, the PCB released a media statement about pacer Mohammad Wasim Jr. being released from the squad for the ongoing series against Australia, which concluded with a line about the team’s travel for the World Cup.
“Update on Pakistan T20I Squad. Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jnr has been released from Pakistan’s T20I squad for the remaining two matches of the series against Australia. Pakistan will compete the series with the 15-member squad that will travel onwards for the ICC Cricket World Cup," the statement said.
However, the PCB deleted this statement immediately afterwards and republished it after omitting the final sentence.
“Update on Pakistan T20I Squad. Fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Jnr has been released from Pakistan’s T20I squad for the remaining two matches of the series against Australia," the new statement said.
Uncertainty continues over Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup, with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and the national government still weighing their options. The country’s foreign office is expected to clarify its stance on February 2, just days before the tournament opener on February 7.
While the PCB has no public dispute with the ICC, it has cited solidarity with Bangladesh, whose security concerns about playing in India were rejected by the ICC. This rhetoric means it has refrained from any measures that would show its willingness to travel to Sri Lanka, including the cancellation of a jersey-launch event scheduled for Saturday.
Meanwhile, according to PTI, the PCB has already finalised travel plans for the World Cup, with the team scheduled to leave for Colombo in the early hours of February 2, underlining the PCB’s commitment to the tournament.
“The PCB has already made travel arrangements for the World Cup squad to leave early morning on February 2 for Colombo," the news agency quoted a source as saying.
Clearly, the PCB is trying to carefully manage its stances of support for Bangladesh and a concern about pushing the ICC too far.
