The signs are more promising than they were a week ago: senior ICC figures, Pakistan Cricket Board officials and, tellingly, Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam spent much of the weekend hunting for a compromise that would allow the 15 February India-Pakistan group match in Colombo to go ahead.
Imran Khawaja, the ICC’s deputy chair, flew into Lahore on Sunday for face-to-face talks after PCB chair Mohsin Naqvi publicly threatened to pull Pakistan out of the fixture. Two days earlier Naqvi had warned of “double standards” and insisted Bangladesh had suffered an “injustice” when the ICC board kicked them out of this tournament for refusing to play in India.
That Bangladesh angle is central. Islamabad believes the Tigers were treated harshly and has linked any reversal of its own boycott to a fair deal for Bangladesh. One PCB official put it bluntly on Monday morning: “Sort that out and everything else gets easier.”
What Pakistan wants – and what Khawaja is said to have offered in principle – is threefold. First, no sanctions on the BCB for missing this World Cup. Second, all appearance-fee and broadcast money owed to Bangladesh to be paid in full. Third, written reassurance that Bangladesh’s role as co-host, alongside India, for the 2031 ODI World Cup remains untouched.
Money is never far away. The PCB has also nudged the ICC to reopen the wider revenue-share debate, arguing the current model (locked in until 2027) tilts far too heavily towards the so-called “Big Three”. That discussion is unlikely to be wrapped up quickly, yet the very fact it is on the agenda has given Pakistan room to climb down without losing face.
Nothing is signed off, though. Negotiations will carry on through the week while both teams focus on their next games – Pakistan face the USA on Tuesday, India meet Namibia two days later – and those matches could still matter for qualification if the Colombo date collapses.
Observers might have heard rumours about broader, almost romantic, demands: a return to bilateral India-Pakistan cricket, televised handshakes, even a promise that no player would turn his back during national anthems. PCB spokespeople, sounding almost weary, dismissed those stories late on Sunday night. “We’re dealing with practical tournament issues, nothing more,” one said.
From the ICC side the message is similar, albeit couched in diplomatic language. One board member told us the governing body is “quietly confident” of a breakthrough but added a note of caution: “This isn’t just about two boards. Governments have opinions, broadcasters have timetables, and security advisors still get the final say.”
For supporters, particularly those who bought flights months ago, the back-and-forth has been exhausting. Yet most analysts agree the gap between the parties is narrowing. A commentator on Pakistani television summed it up rather neatly: “Both sides know the world wants to see the match. The challenge is letting everyone save a bit of face while they make it happen.”
With five days left, the fixture is not guaranteed, but it does feel closer than it has for a fortnight. A little more give on the Bangladesh question and the Asia Cup’s fiercest rivalry should light up Colombo after all.
