A viral image claiming that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for one year and barred it from hosting tournaments until 2040 is fake. BOOM found that the ICC has not issued any such media release.
Pakistan has decided to boycott its Group A match against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which begins on February 7, 2026. On February 1, the Pakistani government said in a statement on X that it had granted permission for the team to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament but confirmed that the team would not take the field against India on February 15.
The Claim: Image shows ICC media release banning Pakistan for one year
The viral image is being shared on X claiming that it shows an ICC media release stating that Pakistan cricket has been banned for one year, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) will be suspended for a year, Pakistan’s revenue share will be slashed from 5.75% to 2.25%, and the country will not be allowed to host ICC tournaments until 2040.
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What We Found:
1) No such Media release issued by ICC
We checked ICC’s official website and their social media handles and did not find any such media release announcing any ban on the PCB.
While the ICC did release a statement on February 1 responding to Pakistan’s stand on not playing the match against India, it did not make any statement on banning the PCB. Click here to view.
2) Original DD Sports Facebook post
We ran a keyword search on Google and found that the original image was posted on the official Facebook page of DD Sports.
In the February 2, 2025 post, the DD Sports logo is visible in the same position as also seen in the viral image. This establishes that this original post was digitally altered to create the fake media release now being shared online.
3) Potential ICC sanctions on Pakistan
The Indian Express reported on February 5, 2026, that anticipating sanctions from the ICC over their last-minute withdrawal from the T20 World Cup game against India in Colombo, the PCB might enforce the 'Force Majeure' clause in their defence. The clause refers to unforeseeable circumstances that can prevent a contract from being fulfilled.
BOOM reached out to the ICC for a response via email, the article will be updated on receiving one.
