T20 World Cup: Bangladesh take a stand; Pakistan’s move reeks of desperation
Pakistan’s government announced on Sunday that its men’s cricket team will not take the field for a match against arch-rivals India on February 15, without giving a reason for the decision.“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026; however, the Pakistan Cricket Team will not take the field in the match scheduled for February 15 against India,” the Pakistan government said in a post on X.Agha also deflected a question when coaxed as to what Pakistan would do if they faced India in the semi-finals.“The India game is not in our control. It was the government’s decision and again, if we have to play them in the semi-final or final, we have to go back to them and act on their advice,” he said.When the fans didn’t see the India vs Pakistan match, Salman said, “They can come and watch three more matches,” he said with a laugh.Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan’s prime minister, also weighed in on the decision, calling the government’s move “appropriate” to boycott the 15 February match against India.“We have taken a very clear stand in the T20 World Cup that we will not play a match against India because there should be no politics on the sports field,” Sharif told his cabinet members on Wednesday.Sharif further stressed that Pakistan should stand by Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced them with Scotland after Bangladesh demanded to move their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.“We have taken a very judicious position and we should completely stand by Bangladesh and I think it is a very appropriate decision.”Along with India, Pakistan was placed with Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA in Group A. In 2024, Pakistan lost to India before being eliminated after losing to the USA in the Super Over.However, they will go into the tournament after beating Australia by 111 runs on Sunday to complete the T20I series 3-0.“Yes, we lost to the USA in the last World Cup, but that’s history. It’s a new World Cup, a new team and a new combination and we’re very excited about it,” Agha said.It will be Agha’s first time leading his country at the World Cup and the skipper sounded excited.“It’s my first World Cup as a captain and I’m very excited about it. I don’t know how to describe myself as a captain,” he said.“It’s the way people describe it, but as captain I just want to lead from the front, try to do as much as I can for my players, get the best out of them and give them an environment where they can play at their best,” he added.Pakistan will begin their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7.