By Asif Naveed
ISLAMABAD (MNN); After nearly a week of uncertainty, the government of Pakistan on Sunday allowed the national team to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, while barring it from playing the scheduled group-stage match against India on February 15.
An official statement issued through the government’s X account said Pakistan had been granted permission to take part in the tournament, but the team would not take the field against India on the specified date.
The decision followed high-level consultations amid speculation that Pakistan could boycott the tournament after Bangladesh’s withdrawal. Earlier in the week, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to brief him on developments related to the ICC. Naqvi had said at the time that a final decision would be taken after the prime minister’s return.
Questions over Pakistan’s participation intensified after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland on January 24. Bangladesh had refused to tour India due to security concerns arising from strained political relations between the two countries. The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to shift its matches to co-host Sri Lanka, citing the proximity of the tournament’s start date on February 7.
Before the ICC’s announcement, Naqvi had described Bangladesh’s treatment as unfair and stated that Pakistan’s own participation had not yet been confirmed.
The developments have highlighted growing tensions in South Asian cricket. The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to begin on February 7. Pakistan and defending champions India were drawn in the same group, but under an ICC-brokered arrangement, Pakistan was to play all its matches in Sri Lanka at a neutral venue.
This follows a similar “hybrid model” adopted during the 2025 Champions Trophy, when India declined to tour Pakistan and played its matches in Dubai.
Pakistan’s decision not to play India has sparked debate in cricketing circles. An Indian veteran commentator questioned how the ICC would respond if Pakistan participated in the tournament but skipped the India match, raising concerns over broadcasting revenues and hypothetical scenarios such as a potential India-Pakistan final.
