The Pakistan government has given approval to its national cricket team to participate in the T20 World Cup 2026, but has also imposed a big condition along with it. The government has given a clear order that the Pakistan team will not play the group stage match against India on 15 February. This decision has been taken after talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. This order was issued on the night of 1 February.
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Why was this decision taken?
This decision has been taken in protest against the recent administrative changes of the International Cricket Council (ICC). The ICC had included Scotland in the tournament by removing Bangladesh after the Bangladesh Cricket Board refused to play in India due to security reasons.
Pakistan and Bangladesh had demanded a ‘hybrid model’ for the matches, which was rejected by the ICC. Angered by this, the Pakistan government has decided not to play the match against India to express its protest. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has called it a step against discrimination against member countries.
What will be the loss if you do not play the match?
According to the rules, if Pakistan does not take the field for the match to be held in Colombo on February 15, India will get a ‘walkover’. This means that India will be given 2 points without even playing.
This boycott will have a direct impact on Pakistan’s Net Run Rate (NRR), which may go down significantly. At the same time, ICC has warned that participating in selected matches in global tournaments is against the rules and for this Pakistan Cricket Board may face fine or other action.
The team is leaving for Colombo
Even though the match against India has been boycotted, the Pakistan team is leaving for Colombo, Sri Lanka today (February 2) to play the remaining matches. The team will play its other matches of Group A as per schedule.
7th February: pakistan vs netherlands
10 February: Pakistan vs America (USA)
18 February: pakistan vs namibia
Team captain Salman Ali Agha has confirmed that the players will completely follow the government instructions. The Indian team will reach Colombo as per its scheduled schedule.