The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have entered into dialogue over the February 15 impasse after the PCB invoked
the Force Majeure (FM) clause for the T20 World Cup match.
Just hours into the start of the T20 World Cup, the two parties are believed to have agreed to hold discussions over the marquee clash between the arch-rivals, with ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta at the forefront of the negotiations.
The ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta reached Colombo on Saturday and the dialogue is believed to have started between the parties after the global body responded to a PCB communication, highlighting the potential damages the ICC could claim from them for any act of non-compliance and truancy.
A report from Cricbuzz has revealed that the ICC wrote to the PCB with queries related to the Force Majeure clause in the Terms of Participation and asked the PCB to show what steps it had taken to mitigate the force majeure claim.
This exchange of mail began after the PCB formally informed the ICC of its intent to boycott the game a couple of days ago and invoked the force majeure clause citing an order from the Pakistan government.
The report also revealed that the ICC communication outlined the conditions under which force majeure can realistically and legitimately be invoked. The ICC mail further mentioned evidentiary threshold required for non-participation besides outlining the sporting, commercial, and governance implications of such a step.
Following the receipt of the formal communication from the ICC, PCB approached the international body to initiate further dialogue. The ICC is currently engaging with the Pakistan board in a structured manner to explore possible resolutions, reinforcing that talks, not confrontation, is ICC's default approach.
"ICC, while dealing first with Bangladesh and then with Pakistan, the ICc has acted with neutrality and fairness with the intention of preserving the sanctity of its global events and governance. It has prioritised dialogue over dispute, put fan and player welfare first and ensured objectivity is at the heart of its decision-making," a source told Cricbuzz.
Will India vs Pakistan happen in T20 World Cup?
As per the latest notion, the match may well be back on course. India and Pakistan is always a flagship encounter, and the marquee clash may well be played in Colombo on February 15, as it was supposed to be. Pakistan started with a victory against the Netherlands in their first match.
