COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pakistan’s captain Salman Ali Agha has confirmed that his team will follow the government’s decision not to play against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 next week.
The match between India and Pakistan is typically the most watched during global tournaments, drawing hundreds of millions of viewers. This boycott has sparked significant debate, and the International Cricket Council is working to address the situation with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
During a media conference on Thursday, Agha stated the team would comply with the government’s instructions.
“The India game is not in our control,” Agha said. “The government has decided, and we respect that. Whatever they say, we’ll do.”
“We have three other group games to play, and we are looking forward to them.”
Pakistan’s World Cup opener is against the Netherlands on Saturday in Colombo, where they will play all their matches. Namibia and the United States are also in their group. The match against India is set for February 15 in Colombo.
In Mumbai, India captain Suryakumar Yadav emphasized that they will go to Colombo regardless of whether the match occurs.
“Our mindset is clear,” Yadav said. “We did not refuse to play them. The refusal came from them. The ICC organized the fixture, and BCCI along with the Indian government decided to play at a neutral venue. Our flight to Colombo is booked, and we are going. We’ll see what happens later.”
The decision from the Pakistan government was made after Bangladesh was removed from the World Cup by the ICC. Bangladesh opted not to play in India due to security issues and requested to move their games to Sri Lanka, which the ICC declined.
Agha expressed disappointment that Bangladesh will miss the World Cup for the first time and encouraged Bangladeshi fans to support his team.
Pakistan has accused the ICC of inconsistency regarding security issues. Matches between India and Pakistan are held at neutral venues due to ongoing military and diplomatic tensions between the two countries, which have affected sports for over a decade. Last year, during the men’s Asian Cup and Women’s World Cup, the teams did not shake hands during their encounters.
