Salman Ali Agha, the captain of Pakistan, upheld the position of his cricket board on Thursday, emphasizing that their government made the choice to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India and that it was “not in our control.”
The high-profile men’s T20 World Cup group stage match between Pakistan and India on February 15 in Colombo would be boycotted, the country announced on Sunday. But starting on February 7, the Pakistani government authorized the national team to compete in the remainder of the international competition.
“The India game is not in our control. It’s the government’s and the PCB’s decision and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we will do that,” Agha said during the captain’s conference.
On Saturday, the T20 showcase gets underway at various locations in Sri Lanka and India.
Agha stated that they would once more follow the Pakistani government’s decisions if the two bitter rivals faced off in the knockout stages.
“If we have to play them again in the semifinal or final, we will have to go back to them and act on their advice,” Agha said.
According to an official government statement, Pakistan’s move is a political protest against Bangladesh’s exclusion from the competition. Bangladesh requested that matches be moved from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds, but the ICC denied their request.
During the press conference in Colombo, Agha was also reminded of Pakistan’s humiliating loss to the lesser-known USA in the last tournament in the Americas.
“Yes, we lost to the USA in the last World Cup, but that’s history now. It’s a new World Cup, a new team and a new combination, and we are very excited about it. It’s my first World Cup as a captain, and I’m very excited about that. I don’t know how to describe myself as a captain.”
“As a captain, I just want to lead from the front and do as much as I can for the team, get the best out of the team, and prepare an environment where they can play at their best,” Agha said.
