Pakistan government orders team to boycott India T20 World Cup match
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Pakistan's government has approved its cricket team's participation in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka but ordered a boycott of the high-profile group-stage match against India on February 15.
The directive, announced Sunday via an official X post, clears the squad to travel for the tournament starting February 7 while explicitly barring them from fielding against India, casting uncertainty over the marquee fixture. This follows Bangladesh's withdrawal—replaced by Scotland—after refusing to play in India over security concerns, a move Pakistan supported by voting in favor at the ICC board meeting.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had threatened a full boycott, but the government opted for selective non-participation days before the team's departure. If Pakistan forfeits, they will lose two points and face potential ICC sanctions, echoing past refusals like Australia-West Indies in 1996, England-Zimbabwe in 2003, and New Zealand-Kenya that year.