Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India will go ahead with its plans for the February 15 match against Pakistan at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, even though Pakistan have decided not to play. According to sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Indian team will strictly follow ICC protocol on match day.“India will travel to Sri Lanka on 15th February and follow ICC protocol. They will practice as per schedule, do a press conference and reach the stadium according to time and wait for the match referee to call off the match,” BCCI sources told news agency ANI.
Earlier on Sunday, the Government of Pakistan officially confirmed that its national team will boycott the group-stage match against India. The announcement was made through an official statement posted on X. While Pakistan has allowed its team to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament, it made clear that the February 15 fixture against India will not be played. No reason was given for the decision.“The government of The Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the World T20 2026, however the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take field in the match scheduled on 15 February 2026 against India,” the statement read.The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash was scheduled to be played in Colombo as part of Group A. However, Pakistan’s decision now puts the fixture in doubt. As of now, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not formally informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) about the boycott, according to TimesofIndia.com sources.Questions over Pakistan’s participation had surfaced earlier as well. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had raised concerns after Bangladesh was removed from the tournament on January 24 due to security issues in India. Pakistan was the only country to back Bangladesh’s request for a neutral venue. The PCB also accused the ICC of showing double standards in India’s favour.After meeting Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Naqvi said the government would take the final call. He added that he had been advised to keep all options open, with a decision expected by “Friday or next Monday.”Despite the controversy, Pakistan is set to travel to Colombo on Monday. The Salman Ali Agha-led side will play a warm-up match against Ireland on February 4. Their World Cup campaign begins against the Netherlands on February 7, followed by matches against the USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.If Pakistan sticks to its decision, it will forfeit two points from the match against India. The final call on the fixture now rests with the ICC and the match referee on the day.
