According to sources, the Pakistan Cricket Board has already planned for its T20 World Cup team to leave for Colombo early on February 2, therefore eliminating any chance of skipping the competition or the marquee match against India on February 15.
“The PCB has already made travel arrangements for the World Cup squad to leave early morning on February 2 for Colombo,” PTI quoted the source as saying.
The source went on to say that PCB had fully supported the Bangladesh Cricket Board over their “security concerns” about playing in India and that it was unable to take any further action without jeopardizing its own standing within the ICC.
A tripartite agreement between the BCCI, PCB, and ICC stipulates that all India-Pakistan matches in ICC events through 2027 will take place at neutral venues.
“Keep in mind Pakistan’s entire World Cup schedule is in Sri Lanka, including the final if they qualify. So on what grounds can they boycott the tournament or the match against India?” he asked.
The PCB is anticipated to confirm their involvement on Friday. Some media outlets have speculated that Pakistan would withdraw from the competition or decline to play India. However, such reports were written off as rumors by an insider.
“When the PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, met with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, he made it clear that all options under consideration should ensure a stable and prosperous future for Pakistan cricket and maintain good relations with the ICC and member boards,” PTI quoted the insider as saying.
He went on to say that the rumors were illogical and did not provide an explanation for why the PCB may boycott the India match or skip the World Cup.
“The Indian government has said no to its team playing in Pakistan, but there is no bar on India playing Pakistan in Asia Cup-level events or in ICC events at neutral venues,” he said.
“So how will Pakistan justify boycotting the match against India when its government has always claimed politics should not be mixed with sports?” he asked.
