In a sudden twist of events, the Pakistan government has announced that the Salman Ali Agha-led Pakistan team will not play the match against India, which is scheduled to be held at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday, February 15.
According to a post by the Government of Pakistan’s official ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) account, the team has been granted permission to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament. However, it clearly stated that “the Pakistan cricket team will not take the field in the match scheduled on 15 February 2026 against India.” No specific reason was provided for this decision.
Earlier, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi had expressed doubts over the Men in Green’s participation in the 10th edition of the T20 World Cup after Bangladesh were expelled from the tournament by the ICC on January 24. This followed Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India for the marquee event, instead requesting that their matches be moved out of the country.
Pakistan Backs Bangladesh, Slams ICC Decision
Pakistan was the only nation to openly support Bangladesh’s demand for an alternate venue and reacted strongly to their removal, accusing the ICC of double standards and favouring India. Naqvi had also stated that the final decision on Pakistan’s participation would rest with the government.
While it was widely believed that Pakistan would not boycott the entire tournament, the clash against India was always seen as the most likely target. Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. The former champions are set to begin their campaign on Saturday, February 7, in the opening match of the T20 World Cup in Colombo. Prior to that, they will face Ireland in their only warm-up match on Wednesday.
Pakistan will be eager to put behind their disappointing campaign in the previous T20 World Cup and take confidence from their recent 3-0 series sweep against Australia at home.
