Will Pakistan play against India on February 15 for the group round fixture of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2026? The tournament has started from February 7, and the answer is not clear. Pakistan keeps the International Cricket Council (ICC) as well as the entire cricket fraternity guessing.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has threatened to boycott the highly valued match of the T20 World Cup to show strong protest against the ICC for ejecting Bangladesh from the tournament. As of now, discussions are on between ICC and PCB so that the February 15th match can be arranged according to the original plans.
ICC and PCB had a meeting
The Government of Pakistan, through their official social media accounts, informed that their men’s cricket team would play in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 but will not face their arch rival on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Worth noting that it was informed by the Government of Pakistan, not by the PCB. Then what is PCB’s stance?
Mohsin Naqvi, head of the PCB, already threatened to boycott the match. The government’s decision came days after a meeting between Naqvi and the Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif. It is believed that the boycott call is heavily influenced by Naqvi, as he is also an interior minister of the country.
If the Pakistan cricket team skips their match with the Men in Blue, then the ICC can take multiple steps against the Pakistan cricket. Even a ban from major tournaments is also possible. But the council, led by Jay Shah, urged the PCB to participate in the match as per the schedule.
PCB’s demands to play February 15th match with India
According to recent media reports, ICC officials held a talk with the PCB officials recently to understand the situation and solve it as well. After the discussions between two parties, the situation is reportedly far away from the normal situation.
It is claimed on social media platforms that the cricket board put multiple criteria in front of the ICC officials to reverse their boycott call against their T20 World Cup 2026 match with India in Colombo, which is a neutral venue. According to the claims, the ICC rejected demands of the PCB.
Demands made by PCB and rejected by the ICC:
– PCB demanded that BCCI must allow their national team to engage with Pakistan in bilaterals, which ICC denied.
– PCB demanded a tri-nation series between India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh in the near future. ICC also rejected this.
– PCB demanded the Indian national cricket team must tour Bangladesh this year, which was also demanded by the International Cricket Council.
The main issue before the T20 World Cup 2026 was between the ICC and Bangladesh. Pakistan extended the row deliberately by threatening to boycott the entire tournament. Later, it was informed that the team will only boycott the India match. The stance Pakistan has taken seems more political than in relation to cricket.
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