Pakistan will lose two points if they do not play in Sri Lanka’s match in Colombo.
The Pakistan cricket team has been allowed to participate in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, but will not play in the match against India, the Pakistani government has announced.
“Pakistan cricket team will not participate in the match against India scheduled for February 15, 2026,” it said in a statement on Sunday.
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The statement did not mention why Pakistan will not hold team matches.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament became uncertain after Bangladesh were expelled by the International Cricket Council (ICC) citing logistical impasses.
“Selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competition,” the ICC said in a statement following Pakistan’s announcement.
“While the ICC respects the government’s role in national policy, this decision was not made in the interests of the global game or the welfare of fans around the world, including millions of people in Pakistan,” it said, adding that it was awaiting formal communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“The ICC would like the PCB to consider the significant and long-term impact on cricket in its home country, as this is likely to have an impact on the global cricket ecosystem of which the PCB is itself a member and beneficiary.”
Due to an impasse over safety concerns raised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) about playing in India, the ICC excluded Bangladesh from the World Cup and replaced them with Scotland.
The PCB was quick to back Bangladesh, saying it would not make a “final decision” this week on the team’s participation in the month-long tournament, which begins on Saturday.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last week to discuss the issue, but did not say whether Pakistan would participate in the tournament.
“We have agreed that the final decision will be taken on Friday or next Monday,” said Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior minister.
Due to rocky relations between New Delhi and Islamabad, all of Pakistan’s World Cup matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka.
After Bangladesh’s expulsion, the ICC was accused of practicing “double standards” in its unusual move to expel a full member state due to logistics impasses.
“We cannot have double standards,” Naqvi said.
“You can’t say that one country (India) should do whatever it wants and another country should do exactly the opposite. That’s why we took this stand and made it clear that Bangladesh has been treated unfairly against them. They should be in the World Cup. They are a major stakeholder in cricket.”
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal supported the decision.
“Enough is enough. We had to take this decision,” Akmal told AFP. “Our government has taken a strong decision that should be upheld as India frequently confuses politics and sports, which undermines the spirit of sports.”
Twenty countries will participate in the T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan will be in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands and USA and will play all their matches in Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s first match on Saturday will be against the Netherlands at the Sinhala Sports Club Cricket Ground in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo.
If Pakistan boycotts the match against India, they will lose two points.
Refusal to play against India, who had already played at a neutral venue in Sri Lanka, will have serious financial implications for the tournament’s biggest draw.
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket since 2012 and have only faced each other in multinational events.
Under an agreement signed last year, India and Pakistan agreed not to travel to each other’s country if either side hosts an ICC event, and instead play at neutral venues.
