BCB Chief Aminul Islam to attend high-voltage India vs Pakistan match following boycott row resolution

After the final decision confirmed that the biggest rivalry match of the T20 World Cup 2026 will take place on February 15, excitement has surged across the cricketing world. Among those who will be in attendance is Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam, who has confirmed he will travel to Colombo to watch the high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Speaking to Bangladesh newspaper Pratham Alo, Islam informed that representatives from all five major Asian cricket boards – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka – will be present at the match. He added that the meeting is part of a broader ICC initiative to bring all key stakeholders together for dialogue.

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“The ICC has made a decision. The major stakeholders of the ICC are these five Asian countries. For the India-Pakistan World Cup match on the 15th, they want representatives of all five Asian countries to be present at the ground together, watch the match together, and talk to one another,” Islam said.

Recent tensions between BCCI and BCB

The decision comes amid strained relations between the BCCI and BCB, which deteriorated after the Indian board requested Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman to be released from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad during the IPL.

In response, the BCB asked the ICC to move World Cup matches out of India, but the governing body rejected the request. The fallout eventually led to Scotland replacing Bangladesh in the multinational tournament, escalating tensions further.

Pakistan, in solidarity with Bangladesh, initially announced a boycott of their World Cup match against India while continuing to participate in the tournament. However, following positive talks between the ICC and BCB, Pakistan agreed to play the fixture, and the ICC decided not to take action against Bangladesh for schedule non-compliance.

Bangladesh set to host future ICC event

As part of the resolution, Bangladesh is set to host an ICC event between 2028 and 2031, with Islam expecting it to be the ICC Men’s Under-19 World Cup in 2028.

The BCB chief also confirmed that the board will prepare a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure that all assurances are formally documented.

“We will also enter into an agreement. The agreement will be line by line, an MoU-type document, so that there is no uncertainty,” Islam said.
“Earlier, when we held the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Annual General Meeting in Dhaka, a similar issue arose. We prepared an MoU-type document so that no one could deviate from the contract,” he added.