Pakistan will travel to Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup but will not play their match against India in Colombo on February 15.
“The Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026. However, the Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February, 2026, against India,” the Government of Pakistan announced on their X handle on Sunday evening.
Sources in Pakistan said that the announcement followed a meeting between Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also an interior minister in their government, and the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore in the afternoon. However, no reason was given for the boycott.
The Pakistan team is expected to fly to Colombo on Monday. The T20 World Cup begins on Saturday.
The International Cricket Council released a statement late on Sunday saying that “this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan.”
The world body also made the PCB aware of the implications of the “selective participation”.
“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of,” the statement said.
There is a growing belief among various stakeholders that the PCB will have to ultimately relent for fear of losing out on a significant share of the ICC’s annual revenue.
“Once the reality of ICC sanctions set in, Naqvi will be forced to backtrack and do a U-turn. Besides financial implications, their cricket will suffer yet another setback if overseas players are not given No Objection Certificates from their respective boards to participate in the Pakistan Super League,” a source in the know of things told The Telegraph.
Pakistan’s participation was in doubt after PCB voiced their displeasure over the removal of Bangladesh from the World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board refused to play in India, citing security issues but the ICC turned down their demand because of logistical problems.
PCB was the only member which supported Bangladesh’s request for playing in Sri Lanka during the ICC board meeting last month.
The ICC, however, is still awaiting an official communication from the PCB.
The boycott has also led to a lot of speculation over whether the PCB would stick to their stand in case they lose any of their first two group league matches and qualifying for the Super Eight stage becomes uncertain.
Pakistan are in Group A along with India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA, and are playing all their matches in Sri Lanka. They open against the Dutch on Saturday, then meet the USA on February 10, and Namibia on February 18. Pakistan will forfeit two points if they boycott their match against India.
Pakistan’s net run-rate will also be affected by the forfeiture, while India’s will remain unaffected.
Clause 16.10.7 of the ICC’s playing conditions states that in the event of a forfeiture, “the net run-rate of the defaulting team shall be affected in that the full 20 overs of the defaulting team’s innings in such forfeited match shall be taken into account in calculating the average runs per over of the defaulting team over the course of the relevant portion of the competition.”
An India-Pakistan match is one of the most high-profile and lucrative fixtures for the broadcasters who will lose out on significant revenue if it doesn’t take place.
The ball is now in the ICC’s court but the final word on the boycott may not have been written yet.