Islamabad [Pakistan], February 4 (ANI): Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated his country’s decision to boycott its T20 World Cup match against India, saying Islamabad has taken a “clear stand” on the issue ahead of the February 15 fixture scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka, Dawn reported.
“We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India,” Sharif said while addressing the federal cabinet in Islamabad.
He said the decision had been taken after careful assessment and described it as an “appropriate” move. “There should be no politics in sports,” Sharif added, reiterating that the matter had been deliberated upon thoroughly.
Pakistan had earlier announced its decision to boycott the group-stage match against India after the Pakistan government posted on X that the national team “shall not take the field” against India, without citing any specific reason.
Following the decision, the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a statement saying that “selective participation” runs contrary to the “fundamental premise of a global sporting event” and urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to seek a mutually acceptable resolution that safeguards the interests of all stakeholders.
In its release, the ICC said it had noted the Government of Pakistan’s statement instructing its national team to selectively participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. “While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board, this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms as per the event schedule,” it said.
The ICC emphasized that its tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency, and fairness, and warned that selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of international competitions.
“While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan,” the statement said. It added that such a move could have significant long-term implications for cricket in Pakistan and the broader global cricket ecosystem.
The ICC said its priority remains the successful conduct of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and stressed that all member boards, including the PCB, share responsibility in this regard. It reiterated its expectation that the PCB explore a mutually acceptable solution that protects the interests of all parties.
Last month, PCB Chairman and Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Sharif to brief him on developments related to the ICC’s decisions, following Bangladesh’s refusal to send its team to India over purported “security concerns.”
The ICC subsequently announced that Scotland would replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declined to participate according to the published match schedule. The decision came after the ICC rejected the BCB’s demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh team.
The 20-team tournament is scheduled to be played from February 7 to March 8, with matches hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Scotland, the highest-ranked T20I side not originally qualified, currently sit 14th in the rankings, ahead of several teams already in the tournament, including Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, the United States, Canada, Oman, and Italy.
Pakistan’s record against India in ICC T20 World Cups has been poor, with India winning seven of the eight encounters between the two sides. In last year’s Asia Cup, Pakistan were comprehensively beaten by India in all three matches, including the final.
Pakistan announced its squad for the T20 World Cup last month. The team has been placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the United States.
India squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026:
Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh.
Pakistan squad for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq. (ANI)
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