There is uncertainty whether the much-anticipated match between India and Pakistan on February 15 will go ahead as planned, but Pakistan’s players are not slacking off when it comes to their preparations in Colombo. On the eve of the Group A match against the USA, fast bowler Salman Mirza told the media that the team was preparing as usual, keeping the bigger picture in mind.
Mirza reiterated the Pakistan Cricket Board’s stance that participation in the high-profile clash is subject to government approval.
“We are preparing for the whole World Cup. We will play according to the team we have to face. It will be the government’s decision and we will do what they tell us,” said the fast bowler, who replaced Naseem Shah in the playing eleven. Pakistan’s opening day win against the Netherlands.
Salman added that the team’s immediate focus is on their upcoming match against the USA – the first ever day and night at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
“We focus on the next game and take it one game at a time, whatever comes. As for the 15th game, that’s the government’s decision. Whatever they decide, we will play accordingly,” he said.
Salman’s remarks come the same way PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the boycott stance after a marathon meeting with International Cricket Council officials in Lahore on Sunday.
Pakistan began their T20 World Cup campaign with a nervy win over the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday. Salman, who played in place of Naseem, took three wickets in the match.
WILL INDIA AND PAKISTAN PLAY ON FEBRUARY 15?
While The Pakistani government initially announced the boycott – a stance reiterated by Prime Minister Sharif during his speech in Parliament last week – the PCB and ICC have since engaged in discussions aimed at finding an amicable solution that would benefit the sport and its stakeholders.
This was reported by India Today sources on Monday Pakistan presented as many as five demands during Sunday’s meeting with the ICC. Notably, Bangladesh Cricket Board President Aminul Islam Bulbul also traveled to Lahore to attend the discussions after Bangladesh received support from the PCB following their removal from the T20 World Cup.
However, the ICC rejected three of the requests.
Pakistan insisted that Bangladesh should not be penalized for withdrawing from the T20 World Cup and that it must receive its full share of the ICC’s revenue – a position the ICC had already decided independently. It also called on the ICC to grant compensatory global action to Bangladesh after last year’s Women’s T20 World Cup was moved from the country to Dubai due to civil unrest, with the Under-19 World Cup next cycle suggested as a possible alternative.
Pakistan further demanded that the ICC encourage India to resume bilateral cricket with Pakistan, a request that was rejected, with the governing body reiterating that bilateral series do not fall under its jurisdiction, including in the World Test Championship. Proposals for an India–Pakistan–Bangladesh tri-series and for India to tour Bangladesh later that year, for a series postponed to 2025, were also rejected on similar grounds, with the ICC arguing that it did not have the authority to order bilateral or trilateral series.
The treatment of Bangladesh, which Pakistan believes was unfair, has been at the center of the PCB’s discussions with the ICC in recent days. Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland after they refused to travel to India for group stage matches citing security concerns. The ICC dismissed these concerns and voted to replace Bangladesh, with Pakistan the only member nation to publicly support
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
February 9, 2026
