Even though the government approved the national team’s participation for the remainder of the competition, beginning on February 7, Pakistan formally announced on Sunday that it would boycott its marquee ICC T20 World Cup group stage match against India.
The decision made by the Pakistani government is seen as a protest against the ICC replacing Bangladesh with Scotland after the latter refused to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns.
The Pakistani government announced in a statement on its verified social media accounts that it has given the Pakistani cricket team permission to participate in the competition, but that the team “shall not take the field” for the match against India in Colombo on February 15.
In the midst of increased political tensions, the decision puts an end to days of conjecture on Pakistan’s participation in the competition, which is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
“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 government posted on social media.
Following Bangladesh’s elimination from the competition, PCB had stated that the government will decide on the team’s participation.
