Picture Credit : BCCI/ICC
In a breaking news ahead of the upcoming WT20, Pakistan will boycott the game against India which is set to be held on 15th February. This news came via official Government of Pakistan’s twitter handle. The tweet read “Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15 February 2026 against India’’. They have however got the approval to participate in the World Cup by the government and will be playing every other match except India. There was no specific reason given or elaboration done as to why this move has come. This is a big blow for ICC and the broadcasters given India-Pakistan game brings the most viewership. The World Cup starts within a week and this news today has jolted the tournament. ICC is likely to discuss on this matter and we can expect sanctions or some other action in the coming days.
As of now there is no word yet from the ICC regarding this decision. Pakistan were the only country who voted for Bangladesh citing that security in India is a concern and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had made statements about boycott of World Cup. Now this decision by Pakistan to play other matches but not India match poses plenty of challenges. There is also a probability where India would meet Pakistan in the semis and what would happen then. There will be sanctions on Pakistan if they do manage to carry out this. There might be some negotiations between PCB and ICC in the coming days but we have to wait and see what happens.
Also Read | Pakistan announce squad for WT20 a day after boycott call from Mohsin Naqvi
Pakistan are in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands and USA. Incase Pakistan forfeit the match against India they are likely to lose the points. This decision also impacts the broadcaster Star Sports who have already been hyping up this rivalry through advertisements. In other news, India Under 19 beat Pakistan Under 19 by 58 runs today at the ICC Under 19 WC. One thing is for sure the upcoming days will be challenging for the ICC and everyone involved.
