“The charm of the tournament would have died” - Madan Lal opens up on PCB’s U-turn on their boycott drama

Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal has opened up on the Pakistan government’s decision to play their group stage clash against India in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, scheduled to be played on Sunday, February 15, in Colombo.

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Speaking exclusively to the news agency ANI, the former cricketer reckoned that there would be additional pressure on Pakistan, who struggled against their arch-rivals India in their recent games. 

"It is good that they are playing, else the charm of the tournament would have died, and they would have also suffered financial loss. We've heard that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have put pressure on them. The India-Pakistan match is always exciting. Both teams are very good. There could be more pressure on the Pakistan team as they haven't won many matches against India lately. The game of cricket should not weaken," Madan Lal told ANI.

On the other hand, the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected the demands of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during their talks.

According to NDTV, below-mentioned are the demands from the PCB and the responses from the ICC are as follows:

Demand 1: No financial penalty for Bangladesh

ICC's response: It clarified that this was already its decision - the Bangladesh Cricket Board would not be penalised.

Demand 2: Compensatory ICC event for Bangladesh

ICC's response: An Under-19 World Cup in the next cycle is being considered.

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Demand 3: India-Pakistan bilateral series

ICC's response: The request was rejected, with the ICC stating that bilateral series are outside its mandate, including during the World Test Championship cycle.

Demand 4: India-Pakistan-Bangladesh tri-series - The PCB proposed a tri-series featuring India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

ICC's response: The proposal was turned down, again citing lack of jurisdiction.

Demand 5: India tour of Bangladesh in 2026 - The PCB sought ICC involvement in securing an India tour of Bangladesh.

ICC's response: It declined to intervene, reiterating that tours are decided bilaterally.

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