Islamabad, February 9: The Pakistan government has granted permission for its men’s cricket team to play their scheduled match against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This highly anticipated match is set to take place on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Notably, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had previously requested the ICC to shift their match against India to a different venue. However, the ICC rejected BCB’s appeal, leading to Scotland being included in the T20 World Cup 2026 in place of Bangladesh.
Initially, the Pakistan government advised its team not to play against India to show support for Bangladesh. However, following the ICC’s firm stance against Pakistan’s threat to boycott the match and requests from both the BCB and the Sri Lankan government for Pakistan to reconsider its decision, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has now allowed the men’s team to proceed with the match.
The Pakistan government stated that it made this decision in light of the requests from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
In an official statement, the government noted, “The Pakistan government has reviewed the formal requests sent by the Bangladesh Cricket Board to the PCB, as well as supportive messages from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member countries. These messages called for Pakistan’s leadership to find a resolution to the recent challenges. The deep gratitude expressed by our brotherly nation was warmly acknowledged. Pakistan confirms that it stands shoulder to shoulder with Bangladesh.”
The statement further mentioned, “On Sunday evening, the Prime Minister spoke on the phone with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. During their warm and friendly conversation, they recalled that Pakistan and Sri Lanka have always stood together, especially in challenging times. The Sri Lankan President requested the Prime Minister to seriously consider resolving the current impasse amicably.”
On Monday night, a statement from the Pakistan government confirmed, “In light of the outcomes of multilateral discussions and requests from friendly nations, the Pakistan government instructs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field for their scheduled match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on February 15, 2026.”