Pakistan’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India is said to be a political move, with cricketers and politicians from both countries and around the world urging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to resolve the dispute.
Pakistan’s government issued a statement on Sunday saying the men’s cricket team will take part in the world championships, but will not play in the match against arch-rivals India on February 15.
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In a swift response, the ICC criticized Pakistan’s move for “selective participation” and asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to consider the “significant and long-term implications” of its decision.
Decades of political rifts between the two nuclear powers have been blamed for the icy relationship in sports.
Pakistan was separated from India in 1947, resulting in a bloody partition of the subcontinent by its former British colony. Over the past 78 years, the two countries have fought four wars and countless skirmishes, primarily over the disputed region of Kashmir. Both claim the entire area, but control a portion of it.
South Asia’s arch-rivals returned from the brink of all-out war in May when the two countries clashed on their shared border before an internationally brokered ceasefire.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials supported the ICC’s statement asking Pakistan to reconsider the move.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla told India’s ANI news agency: “The ICC has made a serious statement and talked about sportsmanship.”
“We fully agree with the ICC. The BCCI is not going to comment on that until we talk to the ICC.”
However, former cricketers and politicians called on the ICC to act as an intermediary between the cricket boards of the two countries.
“When politics closes doors, cricket can open them,” former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi wrote in X.
He called on the ICC to “lead and demonstrate through decisions, not statements, that it is fair, independent and impartial to all member states.”
“Sports are becoming politicized”
Prominent Indian politician Shashi Tharoor has criticized the politicization of cricket and slammed the BCCI’s decision to ban Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League in January.
“It is very shameful that sport has been politicized in this way on both sides,” he told reporters in New Delhi.
“I don’t think Mustafizur should have been denied a contract to play for Kolkata. It was very disappointing. It was political interference. I think Bangladesh’s reaction was an overreaction, but it is also a reflection of the same, and Pakistan is trying to show solidarity with Bangladesh.”
Tharoor, a member of India’s main opposition party, said the situation was “getting out of control”.
“Sport, especially a sport that means so much to everyone like cricket, should be a way to unite us, at least on the playing field, rather than being left alone,” he said.
The 69-year-old author of several books on history and politics has asked the ICC to help repair relations.
“This is now a wake-up call for everyone involved to communicate with each other in an emergency. The ICC could be a platform for that. Just say, ‘Let’s stop this nonsense.’ We can’t keep doing this forever.”
Pakistan’s decision, taken six days before the start of the World Cup, cast a shadow over the high-profile matches in the group stage.
The match, which was scheduled to take place between India and Pakistan in Colombo on February 15, attracted millions of spectators from around the world and is seen as a major source of income for tournament organizers and sponsors.
Outspoken former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said Pakistan could face sanctions from the ICC, but such a move would be hypocritical given teams boycotting matches in past World Cups.
“Where was the ICC when Australia and West Indies abandoned the match in 1996, when England refused to travel to Harare and New Zealand refused to travel to Nairobi in 2003,” he told X.
Latif, who played 37 Tests and 166 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), feared that Pakistan would be sanctioned by the ICC.
“They (Pakistan) don’t seem to care about that,” he said.
“Will Pakistan refuse to play the final?”
If Pakistan honors its promise and boycotts the group matches, they will be deprived of two points, which could affect their Group A standings.
Pakistan and India are likely to meet again in the tournament in the final on March 8, but it is unclear how that match will play out as there are multiple stages between the group games and the final.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen questioned whether Pakistan would also boycott the tournament decider.
“Will Pakistan refuse to play in the World Cup final?” he asked.
Cricketers across the border condemned Pakistan’s boycott of the match.
“This is not a matter of guts at all, it’s a matter of stupidity,” former Test cricketer and coach Madan Lal told Indian media.
“Pakistan is taking such decisions because they want to degrade India. That is also the reason why they are not growing. If you keep looking at others, what are you going to do for your own growth?”
Indian cricket writer and commentator Harsha Bhogle said the boycott could have an economic impact on Pakistani cricket.
“If Pakistan’s confiscation and future uncertainty inevitably reduce ICC’s income, the least affected countries would be India, Australia and the UK given their other strong sources of income,” he said in a social media post.
“The countries most affected will be those that are completely dependent on revenues from the ICC, and will include not only small and medium-sized states and sub-states, but also the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and…Pakistan!”
Pakistan will open the T20 World Cup against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7.
The 2009 champions will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, including the Super 8 matches and knockouts.
This is based on the ICC-mediated agreement signed between the PCB and BCCI in December 2024, which allows both teams to play matches at neutral venues if their neighbors host ICC events.
Pakistan’s remaining Group A games will be against the United States on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.
