Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi addressed a press conference. AP/PTI(AP09_17_2025_000612B) TimesofIndia.com in Mumbai: A dialogue is finally underway between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) after the Pakistan government decided to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India in Colombo on February 15. It is learned that the two parties have already exchanged emails in the past few days. The PCB invoked force majeure citing the government’s directive not to take the field against their arch-rivals in the group stage of the multi-nation tournament. In the statement, the government gave no further explanation or justification for doing so. In response, the global cricket body asked the PCB to justify how it had tried to break the logjam under the terms of participation.
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“Yes, the PCB invoked force majeure but did not provide any further explanation or details. In response, the ICC asked the Pakistan management to demonstrate what it had done to mitigate the FM,” says a source following the development.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!In addition, the conditions under which force majeure can be invoked were set out by the ICC in its detailed response, emphasizing the need for an evidentiary threshold required for non-participation. The ICC also highlighted the sporting, commercial and administrative implications due to non-participation.With 8 days to go until the marquee clash, the ICC has kept the channels of dialogue open. The need to engage, not confront, will be the ICC’s approach in dealing with a sensitive matter and every effort will be made to explore possible solutions that will not affect the tournament and the game of cricket.The 2026 T20 World Cup kicked off in Colombo and Mumbai today, but tension surrounding the India Pakistan match continues since the Pakistan government’s social media post and Shehbaz Sharif’s subsequent comments. While the PCB is yet to make a public statement on the matter, the team insists it will follow the government’s advice.“The India match is not in our control. It is the government’s decision and we respect it. Whatever they say, we will do it,” Pakistan captain Salman Agha said during the captain’s conference.
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However, India captain Suryakumar Yadav had a different view and said that India will go to Colombo as per schedule and already have tickets booked for the match.“The thinking is pretty clear,” Suryakumar said at the captains’ press conference in Mumbai on Thursday. “We didn’t refuse to play them. They refused. The ICC organized the match. The BCCI and the Indian government decided to play at a neutral venue in coordination with the ICC. Our flight to Colombo is booked. So we’re going. We’ll see what happens later.”It remains to be seen what happens with the fixture, but both sides are in dialogue and the next few days could provide some much-needed clarity.
