After Pakistan determined to boycott its T20 World Cup match in opposition to India, scheduled for February 15, the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to think about the long-term implications of its resolution and “discover a mutually acceptable decision”.
“The ICC notes the assertion that the federal government of Pakistan has made relating to the choice to instruct its nationwide staff to selectively take part within the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup 2026. Whereas the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this place of selective participation is troublesome to reconcile with the basic premise of a worldwide sporting occasion the place all certified groups are anticipated to compete on equal phrases per the occasion schedule,” the ICC acknowledged in a media launch on Sunday.
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Whereas the Pakistan authorities granted permission for its males’s cricket staff to participate within the upcoming T20 World Cup, starting on Saturday, it mentioned it could boycott the league stage match in opposition to archrival India on February 15 in Colombo with out specifying the explanation behind the choice.
Pakistan had threatened to boycott the match after the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to shift its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, which didn’t budge from its stance of not eager to play in India resulting from safety issues, was changed by Scotland within the 20-team match.
“ICC tournaments are constructed on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and equity, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions. Whereas the ICC respects the roles of governments in issues of nationwide coverage, this resolution shouldn’t be within the curiosity of the worldwide sport or the welfare of followers worldwide, together with tens of millions in Pakistan.
“The ICC hopes that the PCB will contemplate the numerous and long-term implications for cricket in its personal nation, as that is more likely to impression the worldwide cricket ecosystem, which it’s itself a member and beneficiary of. The ICC’s precedence stays the profitable supply of the ICC Males’s T20 World Cup, which also needs to be the duty of all its members, together with the PCB. It expects the PCB to discover a mutually acceptable decision, which protects the pursuits of all stakeholders,” the assertion added.
Revealed on Feb 01, 2026