Pakistan captain Salman Agha has addressed the decision to skip the group match against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. He stated that this decision was made by the government and is not something the players can change. Agha confirmed that Pakistan will continue to participate in the tournament, emphasizing that the team will follow the guidelines set by the authorities and the Cricket board.
On Sunday, the Government of Pakistan announced that while the national team will compete in the tournament, they will not play in the highly anticipated match against India. This announcement has sparked significant discussion within the cricket community, given the historic rivalry and financial importance of the match.
Clarification from Salman Agha on PCB’s Decision
Speaking to the media after Pakistan’s third T20I against Australia, Agha confirmed the team will follow government and Pakistan Cricket Board decisions. He made it clear that players are not involved in making these choices, and personal views do not matter when national decisions are at stake.
“Yes, absolutely, we will go. But that is not our decision, sir, and we cannot do anything about it. Whatever our government and our chairman instruct us to do, we have to follow,” Agha said, reiterating that the players’ focus is solely on their performance on the field.
Background of the Situation
This decision comes after the International Cricket Council (ICC) recently excluded Bangladesh from the tournament due to their refusal to play matches in India for security reasons. Following Bangladesh’s decision, the ICC replaced them with Scotland, impacting the structure of the tournament.
Pakistan was set to play India on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. All of Pakistan’s group-stage matches will take place in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the World Cup with India.
