Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed the country’s decision to boycott its T20 World Cup match against India, saying Pakistan has taken a “clear stand” on the February 15 fixture in Sri Lanka.
“We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India,” the prime minister told the federal cabinet in Islamabad, adding the choice followed “careful assessment” and was an “appropriate decision.” He stressed, “There should be no politics in sports.”
Earlier, the Pakistan government posted on X that the national team “shall not take the field” against India, without giving a reason. The move prompted a response from the International Cricket Council (ICC), which said selective participation is at odds with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event and urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to seek a mutually acceptable resolution.
The ICC said it has noted the government statement instructing selective participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and awaits official communication from the PCB. The body emphasized that ICC tournaments are founded on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and warned that selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competition. While respecting governmental roles in national policy, the ICC said the decision is not in the interest of the global game or fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan, and urged consideration of the long-term implications for cricket domestically and globally.
PCB chairman and interior minister Mohsin Naqvi last month briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on ICC decisions after Bangladesh declined to send its team to India citing purported security concerns. The ICC subsequently announced Scotland would replace Bangladesh in the tournament after rejecting Bangladesh Cricket Board requests to move matches from India to Sri Lanka, saying there was no credible or verifiable security threat. Scotland is the highest-ranked T20I side not originally qualified, currently 14th, ahead of several teams already in the tournament.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to run from February 7 to March 8, hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Pakistan are in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA.
Pakistan have struggled against India in T20 World Cups, losing seven of eight meetings. In last year’s Asia Cup India swept Pakistan in three matches, including the final, with young Indian batsmen Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma producing significant performances — Tilak scoring an unbeaten 69 in the title chase.
Team India squad for ICC 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 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.
