BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla (ANI Photo) NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday said it fully agrees with the International Cricket Council’s stance on sportsmanship after Pakistan decided to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match against India scheduled for February 15. BCCI official vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that the Indian board would be on hold pending further comments.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!“ICC has made a big statement, they have talked about sportsmanship. We completely agree with ICC. BCCI will not comment on this until we talk to ICC,” Shukla said, stressing India’s compliance with the global governing body’s stance on the issue.
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Shukla’s remarks came a day after the Pakistan government announced that while it has cleared the national team for the 2026 ICC Men’s Under-20 World Cup, it will not allow the side to take the field against India. In a post on X, the Pakistan government said the team “will not take the field” for the February 15 match, without giving any specific reason for the decision. However, Pakistan will play the rest of the tournament starting on February 7.The ICC reacted forcefully to the development by stating that “selective participation” contradicts the basic premise of a global sporting event. In a statement, the ICC said it had taken note of the Pakistan government’s statement and was awaiting an official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), but stressed that all qualified teams were expected to compete on equal terms as per the published schedule.The global body added that ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness and warned that selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of such competitions. The ICC respects the role of governments in national politics, but said the decision was not in the interest of the global game or fans around the world, including millions in Pakistan, and urged the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable solution that would protect all parties involved.Meanwhile, India head into the tournament in strong form after winning the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 4-1. The defending champions are in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA and will begin their campaign on February 7.
