NEW DELHI: Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi on Monday said a final decision on whether his country will boycott the T20 World Cup match against India is expected within the next 24 hours, following intense talks with the ICC that also involved his Bangladesh counterpart Aminul Islam Bulbul.

Speaking at a press conference, Naqvi added that the PCB is awaiting responses from the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board on certain issues it had raised. The match against India is scheduled for February 15 in Colombo.

"We have had discussions with them. It would not be right for me to make any comments right now. Once we get their response, we will decide. We will go back to the PM (Shehbaz Sharif) for advice once the ICC replies," Naqvi told reporters.

"An announcement will come tomorrow or day after tomorrow," he said.

Respecting Protocol and Bangladesh’s Stand

Naqvi stressed that the PCB has shown respect to its guests and the ICC.

"We respect our guests and ICC came to our house so we respected them. At this point of time, we cannot say much as negotiations between the ICC and Bangladesh are ongoing. Bangladesh's stance was valid so we had to back them," he added.

Bangladesh were ousted from the tournament after refusing to play in India, citing security concerns.

Naqvi also dismissed suggestions that the PCB is under pressure following ICC warnings.

"You know we are not ones to be afraid of these threats at all. Everyone knows our Field Marshall (Asim Munir). We are not worried about any sanctions," he said.

Talks with ICC and Demands

According to PCB sources, Naqvi will brief PM Shehbaz Sharif and request him to withdraw the boycott call, following persuasion from his Bangladesh counterpart.

It is understood that during a meeting with ICC deputy chair Imran Khawaja on Sunday, Naqvi had made a few demands, including the resumption of Indo-Pak bilateral cricket and a tri-series involving Bangladesh, to offset the losses the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) incurred after being ousted from the event.

While Indo-Pak bilateral cricket is not under ICC jurisdiction, the tri-series request was rejected. India has not participated in a tri-nation tournament for over a decade. However, the ICC may consider awarding the next men’s U19 World Cup to Bangladesh.

The source said that during talks with Khawaja, Naqvi raised several grievances.

"He questioned Khwaja if the ICC had kept quiet if the Pakistan team had refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy at the presentation from any Indian board official," the source said.

The Asia Cup trophy remains locked at the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) headquarters in Dubai after Naqvi, who heads the body, insisted that only he would conduct the presentation formally and in full media view.

(With PTI Inputs)