Pakistan National Cricket Team: The Pakistan men’s cricket team arrived in Sri Lanka for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 amid controversy over their government’s directive not to play their group-stage match against India.
The 15-member squad, led by captain Salman Agha, landed in Colombo and will take a rest day on Tuesday before playing their only warm-up match against Ireland on Wednesday at the Sinhalese Sports Club. Pakistan are also scheduled to play three of their Group A matches at the same venue.
Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside defending champions India, the United States, the Netherlands and Namibia. The 2009 champions will begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Feb. 7. All of Pakistan’s group matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka.
The Government of Pakistan has issued directives instructing the national team not to take part in the fixture. “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 shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” the statement said,” a post by the Pakistan government on X said.
Hours after the decision, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said that "selective participation" is not fair with the "fundamental premise of a global sporting event" and that it expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders.
In a statement, the ICC said it had noted the government’s position and was awaiting official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board. "While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule," the release said.
It said that ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions. "While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan. The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of," the release said.
It said ICC's priority remains the successful delivery of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup which should also be the responsibility of all its members including the PCB. "It expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders," the release said.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament had been uncertain in recent weeks. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had earlier said the government would take the final call after Bangladesh were removed from the World Cup on Jan. 24. Bangladesh were excluded after refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns. Pakistan had supported Bangladesh’s request for a neutral venue and later accused the ICC of favouring India.
This decision means the 2026 T20 World Cup is set to become the first men’s ICC tournament since 2010 not to feature an India-Pakistan match in the group stage. There is no clarity yet on what would happen if the two teams were to meet later in the knockout rounds.
The India-Pakistan match is usually the biggest draw at any ICC event and attracts the highest television audience. Since 2012, the ICC has placed the two teams in the same group at global tournaments, even though they have not played a bilateral series for more than a decade because of strained political relations.
Salman said the players would follow the board’s decision. “We are players contracted to the board, and whatever decision our government and board have taken, we are on board with it,” he said.
He added that the team’s focus remained on the tournament. “The World Cup is not only about one match. We have three other group games and we will try to win all of them and qualify for the next round,” Salman said.
Several former Pakistan captains and players, including Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Yousuf, Rashid Latif, Moin Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Mohsin Khan, have publicly supported the decision to boycott the India match.
By not playing India, Pakistan will forfeit two points. Under ICC playing conditions, Pakistan’s net run rate will also take a hit, while India’s will remain unchanged.
Pakistan T20 World Cup squad
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper) and Usman Tariq.
