Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif confirms boycott of India match in T20 World Cup 2026 to stand with Bangladesh. Photo: ANI.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated his government’s decision to boycott Pakistan’s T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for February 15 in Sri Lanka, stating that Islamabad has taken a “clear stand” on the issue.
Addressing a meeting of the federal cabinet in Islamabad, Sharif said the decision was made after a detailed assessment.
“We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India,” Sharif said.
Emphasising that sports should remain free of political considerations, the Prime Minister said the decision was taken only after careful deliberation.
“There should be no politics in sports. We have taken this stand after deliberating on it carefully,” he said, describing it as an “appropriate decision”.
Pakistan’s stance had first come into the public domain after the Pakistan government posted on X that the national team “shall not take the field” against India in the group-stage encounter of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. No reason was cited in the post.
Following the announcement, the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a strongly worded statement expressing concern over what it described as “selective participation”.
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 (PCB), 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 per the event schedule,” the ICC said in its release.
The global cricket body stressed that ICC tournaments are built on principles of sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, warning 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.
The ICC further cautioned that the decision could have long-term implications for cricket in Pakistan and impact the broader global cricket ecosystem.
“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 release added.
Reiterating its priorities, the ICC said the successful delivery of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup remains paramount and is the responsibility of all member boards.
“It expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders,” the ICC said.
Last month, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to brief him on the ICC’s stance, particularly in light of developments involving Bangladesh.
The meeting followed the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send its team to India, citing purported “security concerns”.
The ICC announced the decision after rejecting Bangladesh’s demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, stating that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India.
The 20-team tournament is scheduled to be played from February 7 to March 8.
Scotland were named as Bangladesh’s replacement in the tournament. The ICC said Scotland is the highest-ranked T20 International side that had not originally qualified for the World Cup.
Currently ranked 14th in the ICC T20I rankings, Scotland are placed ahead of seven teams already qualified for the tournament — Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States of America (USA), Canada, Oman and Italy.
Pakistan head into the controversy with a poor historical record against India in ICC T20 World Cups. The two arch-rivals have faced each other eight times in the tournament, with India winning seven matches and Pakistan managing just one victory.
In last year’s Asia Cup, India also clean-swept Pakistan in a three-match series, including the final. Young Indian batters Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma dominated Pakistan’s bowling attack throughout the series.
In the final, Tilak Varma played a decisive knock of 69 not out while chasing a target of 147, showcasing his composure and big-match temperament.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA.
Pakistan announced their squad for the tournament last month.
Team 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.
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)
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
Gold and silver markets rebound amid India–US trade developments, MCX gold trades at ₹1,51,127 per…
Google teased the Pixel 10a with a new flat camera design, launching for pre-orders on…
CBSE CTET Hall Tickets Releasing Soon at ctet.nic.in, How to Download Step-By-Step Guide Here
CBSE is set to release the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) Admit Card 2026 today.…
