Pakistan Bows to ICC, Confirms T20 World Cup Participation After Initial Defiance

• Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) initially defied ICC, stating participation depended on Prime Minister's orders.
• ICC warned PCB after its chief Mohsin Naqvi's statement, leading to Pakistan announcing its T20 World Cup squad.
• Pakistan's matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka, avoiding playing in host India as per their earlier demand.
• Withdrawal would have resulted in an ICC ban and a penalty of approximately 366 crore rupees.
• Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament citing security concerns in India, replaced by Scotland in Group C.

Why It Matters: Pakistan, despite initial threats, confirmed T20 World Cup participation to avoid ICC ban and heavy penalty.