Pakistan captain Salman Agha has reacted to his team’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India. On Sunday, the Pakistan government confirmed that the team will participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup ordered them to skip the group stage clash with arch-rivals India.
The decision followed Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament by the ICC after Dhaka refused to play in India due to security concerns. Bangladesh remained firm on their stance of not playing on Indian soil, leading the ICC to replace them with Scotland.
Agha emphasized that the decision was beyond the control of the Pakistani players. He stated that the team will follow the guidelines of the government and the cricket board and leaves no room for personal discretion. He added that while Pakistan will compete in the rest of the tournament, they will follow the guidelines regarding the India match.
“Yes, definitely, we will go. But it’s not our decision sir and we can’t do anything about it. Whatever our government and our president orders us, we have to follow. Only then we will go and do it,” Agha said at a press conference after Pakistan’s third T20I against Australia.
Pakistan was scheduled to face India on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. They beat Australia by 111 runs on Sunday to complete the T20I series 3-0.
Pakistan are in Group A with India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the United States, with all their matches to be played in Sri Lanka. The island nation is co-hosting the tournament with India.
WILL ICC PUNISH PAKISTAN?
If Pakistan fails to take the field against India on February 15, the match will be refereed according to ICC rulesresulting in an automatic loss of two points and a hit to their clean run. Clause 16.10.7 on the playing conditions specifies that the full quota of overs of the failing team is counted, while the opponent’s net run rate remains unaffected.
Sources told India Today that the ICC may consider imposing sanctions on Pakistan following recent developments. Possible measures include restricting NOCs for foreign players to participate in the PSL, which could lead to a significant loss of revenue. Pakistan could also risk losing the rights to host ICC tournaments if the situation escalates.
HAVE TEAMS BOYCOTTED WORLD GAMES BEFORE?
The refusal to play is not without precedent. During the 1996 World Cup, Australia and the West Indies skipped matches in Sri Lanka due to security concerns. In 2003, England refused to play Zimbabwe for political reasons, while New Zealand missed out on a group match against Kenya in Nairobi. However, none of these incidents involved a significant, pre-announced boycott of a major fixture.
The ICC has not yet released an official response to Pakistan’s announcement. Sources told India Today that the board has not received a formal communication and the BCCI also confirmed that it has not been officially notified.
BCCI, TENSE PCB RELATIONSHIP
Relations between the PCB and the BCCI have long been strained, escalating after India refused to play in Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy and after the 2025 Asia Cup, when the Indian players refused to shake hands with Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack.
Tensions rose further when Bangladesh informed the ICC that it would not go to India due to security reasons. Pakistan reportedly offered to host Bangladesh’s matches, but the ICC rejected the request.
The PCB also delayed confirmation of its travel plans until February 1, adding to the stalemate that has now affected the T20 World Cup.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
February 1, 2026