Sri Lanka have requested Pakistan to reconsider their decision of boycotting the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, scheduled for February 15 in Colombo, as per reports. Sri Lanka Cricket President Shammi Silva has written to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), urging them to reconsider their decision.
According to reports, Sri Lanka Cricket is concerned that if the match is not played, it would impact the board’s revenue.
Earlier, Pakistan Government had announced that the team will feature in the World Cup but will boycott the match against India.
“The Government of the 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.”
Later in a statement, ICC noted, “The ICC notes the statement that the government of Pakistan has made regarding the decision to instruct its national team to selectively participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.”
The ICC said that such “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 per the event schedule.” The statement went on to stress the importance of fairness and integrity in ICC tournaments, saying, “ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions.”While the ICC acknowledged that governments play a role in national policy, it expressed concern over the wider impact of Pakistan’s stance. “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 read.
Pakistan are slated to begin their World Cup campaign against Netherlands on Saturday in Colombo.
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