By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has agreed to play its T20 World Cup match against arch-rivals India next week, state-run Pakistan Television reported on Monday, reversing an earlier boycott decision after appeals from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
“Pakistan has agreed to play the T20 World Cup match against India on February 15, following requests from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with India accepting Pakistan’s preconditions,” the broadcaster said in a post on the social media platform X.
The announcement followed a phone call between Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. During the conversation, Dissanayake urged Pakistan to proceed with the clash in Colombo, highlighting past mutual support in cricket amid security challenges. “Pakistan fully supported the Sri Lankan cricket during the terrorism in Sri Lanka,” Dissanayake was quoted as saying. “Pakistan gave priority to its long-standing relations with Sri Lanka above all else, and the Pakistani cricket team continued to tour the country to play cricket despite terrorism.” he
Sharif welcomed the remarks, noting Sri Lanka’s solidarity with Pakistan in tough times. “Recently, the Sri Lankan team took an unforgettable step for the Pakistani nation and cricket fans by not cancelling the tour of Pakistan,” Sharif was quoted as saying. He told Dissanayake he would share a “final decision” on the India match after internal consultations, the statement said.
Separately, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) issued a statement thanking the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for its support and urging participation in the Feb. 15 game. The BCB expressed gratitude to the PCB and the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their “positive roles in trying to overcome recent challenges,” specifically praising PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistani cricket fans. “Throughout this period, the PCB has demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship and solidarity,” the statement said.
“We are deeply moved by Pakistan’s efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish,” BCB President Aminul Islam was quoted as saying. “Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem.”
Pakistan’s government had initially approved the team’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup but stipulated that the Green Shirts would skip the match against India, set for Colombo. The boycott followed regional tensions, including Bangladesh’s replacement by Scotland in the tournament after Dhaka refused to tour India citing safety concerns amid strained political ties between the two nations.
Sri Lanka Cricket subsequently appealed to the PCB to reconsider, warning that a boycott would inflict financial losses and damage the island’s tourism sector, still rebounding from the 2022 economic crisis. On Sunday, an ICC delegation visited Pakistan and met with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to discuss the team’s involvement in the India fixture. Pakistan and India have not engaged in bilateral cricket series for more than a decade due to political frictions, limiting their encounters to multilateral events like ICC tournaments.
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