By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: Pakistan’s cricket board has hit back at suggestions it went to the International Cricket Council looking for a way out of its decision to skip the upcoming match against India, calling out parts of the Indian press for spreading made-up stories and saying the facts will come clear soon enough.
The Pakistan Cricket Board put out a message on X on Saturday, with words from its spokesman Amir Mir, who flat-out turned down what Indian sports writer Vikrant Gupta had put out there. “I categorically reject the claim by Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta that PCB approached the ICC,” Mir said in the post. “As usual, sections of Indian media are busy circulating fiction. A little patience and time will clearly show who actually went knocking and who didn’t.”
Gupta had said on X earlier that day that the PCB had made contact with the ICC to talk things through. “PCB has now reached out to ICC for a dialogue on the India-Pakistan World Cup after the ICC replied to their official communication: PCB first wrote to ICC saying they were pulling out of that game implying the ‘Force Majeure’, attaching their Govt’s tweet,” Gupta said in the post. “The ICC then wrote back, asking what factors under ‘Force Majeure’ were they trying to imply, and telling PCB of legal ramifications and sanctions the ICC could hit them with. The PCB has now approached ICC for a dialogue to “resolve” the issue.”
The AFP also reported earlier on Saturday, based on someone in the know, that the PCB had in fact got in touch with the ICC after getting an official note from them. The ICC wanted to sort things with talks, not a fight, according to AFP.
The government in Pakistan gave the go-ahead for the team to take part in the 2026 T20 World Cup, but made clear the side wouldn’t play the game against their big rivals India, set for Colombo on February 15. A game between India and Pakistan is always a massive draw in cricket, pulling in huge sums from TV deals, sponsors and ads.
The whole 20-side competition has been dogged by bitter politics right from the start, after Bangladesh pulled out over worries about safety in India, with Scotland stepping in instead. Pakistan then said they wouldn’t play against joint hosts India in their Group A game as a stand against that. Pakistan, who just scraped past the Netherlands in their first game on Saturday, would drop two points if they don’t show up, and it’d hurt their chances with a big dent to their net run rate.
Pakistan and India haven’t played a series against each other for more than 10 years, and only meet in big events like this or Asian cups. This week, the cricket board in Sri Lanka asked Pakistan to think again about sitting out the India match. Sri Lanka Cricket told the PCB that pulling out would cost everyone money and knock the country’s tourism, which is still getting back on its feet after the 2022 money crisis.
Faheem Rescues Pakistan
On the pitch, Faheem Ashraf came in with a quick blast at the end to help Pakistan beat a determined Netherlands team in a tight first match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo on Saturday. Going after 148 to win, Pakistan were in a real spot after the middle order fell apart, even with a decent opening, and they still needed 29 from the last 12 balls.
Faheem, down at number eight and fresh in, stepped up big time, hitting 22 off Logan van Beek in the second-last over. The left-hander cracked three sixes and a four in that over. Then, with four needed off four balls, Faheem got the boundary to wrap it up, not out on 29 from 11 balls, and take Pakistan to a win they’ll remember. Before that, opener Saim Ayub got things going fast with 24 off 13, four boundaries and a six, until Aryan Dutt got him in the third over, Pakistan 27 for one.
Captain Salman Ali Agha came in with Sahibzada Farhan, and they kept up the pace. Pakistan got to 50 in the fifth over, but Agha went for 12 off eight soon after. Farhan and Babar Azam carried on, with Farhan making 47 off 29. At one point, they were sailing at 98 for two after 11 overs, with both looking set. But the Netherlands turned it around, getting Pakistan down to 114 for seven with a bunch of quick wickets.
Paul van Meekeren started it in the 12th over, taking two without giving up a run. He got Farhan first, then Usman Khan for nothing. Next over, Roelof van der Merwe bowled Babar for 15, Pakistan at 100 for five after 13. Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan didn’t last long either, going cheap and leaving Pakistan in a hole at 114 for seven, until Faheem pulled them out with three balls left.
In the first half, Pakistan’s attack, especially the slow bowlers, turned the screw to hold the Netherlands to 147 all out in 19.5 overs. The Dutch, sent in to bat, were bowled out for 147 in 19.5 overs, giving Pakistan 148 to chase. They started well, Michael Levitt with a four off the first ball. The Netherlands got 28 in the first three overs, no wickets down. Pakistan got going when Salman Mirza took out opener Max O’Dowd, who tried a pull but got caught, the first wicket of the cup. Levitt, who was looking good, went to Mohammad Nawaz after Babar Azam jumped at the rope to stop it and threw to Shaheen Afridi for the catch.
Bas de Leede and Colin Ackermann got things steady, past 50 in the powerplay. But Abrar Ahmed got Ackermann for 20 off 14 in the eighth, 65 for three. The Dutch hit 100 in the 13th, Scott Edwards with a six off Nawaz. But Nawaz got de Leede for 30 off 25, 105 for four. Abrar then took Edwards for 37 off 29. Saim Ayub came on and got Logan van Beek first ball for zero, then Zach Lion-Cachet for nine, Netherlands 129 for seven. Shaheen Afridi got Roelof van der Merwe for four, and Salman Mirza finished it in the last over, getting Aryan Dutt for 13 and Paul van Meekeren for zero. Salman Mirza topped the bowling with three for 24 in 3.5 overs. Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub each got two, Shaheen one.
With the event rolling on, all eyes are on if talks can stop a no-show that would rob cricket of one of its top draws.
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