Islamabad, February 10 (). The Pakistan government has allowed the men’s cricket team to play its scheduled match against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This match is to be played on 15 February at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
It is noteworthy that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had appealed to ICC to shift its matches to some other venue instead of India, but ICC rejected BCB’s appeal, after which Scotland was included in T20 World Cup 2026 in place of Bangladesh.
After this, the Pakistan government had earlier asked the team not to play the match against India, so as to show support to Bangladesh, but after the ICC took a tough stance on Pakistan’s threat to boycott India’s match and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Sri Lankan government requested Pakistan to reconsider its decision, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has allowed the Pakistan men’s team to play the match.
The Pakistan government said it had allowed its team to play the February 15 match due to requests from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The Government of Pakistan said, “The Government of Pakistan has reviewed the formal requests sent by the Bangladesh Cricket Board to the PCB, as well as the messages of support from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and other Member States. These messages sought Pakistan’s leadership in finding a solution to the recent challenges. The Government also took note of the statement of BCB President Aminul Islam. The deep gratitude expressed on behalf of our brotherly country is very warmly accepted. Pakistan confirms that it Standing shoulder to shoulder with Bangladesh.
“On Sunday evening, the Prime Minister spoke over telephone with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During his warm and friendly conversation, he recalled that Pakistan and Sri Lanka have always stood shoulder to shoulder, especially in challenging times. The Sri Lankan President requested the Prime Minister to seriously consider resolving the current standoff amicably,” the statement said.
A statement issued by the Pakistan government on Monday night said, “In view of the outcomes of multilateral discussions and the requests of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan directs the Pakistan national cricket team to take the field for their scheduled matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on 15 February 2026.”
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