Pakistan's decision to boycott India T20 World Cup match sign of 'protest' against ICC's 'biased decisions': Report

According to reports, the call to boycott the match against India was taken to protest against the ICC's ‘biased decisions’.

Updated on: Feb 2, 2026, 06:18:48 IST

Written by Vishesh Roy

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The Pakistan government finally took the call on the national men's team's participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup, giving the go-ahead for Salman Agha and his side to travel to Sri Lanka. However, a shocking call was taken as it was confirmed that Pakistan would not take the field against India in the Group A match on February 15 in Colombo. Ever since Bangladesh were shown the door from the 20-team competition, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been constantly threatening to pull out of the event, claiming Bangladesh were treated unfairly.

Mohsin Naqvi met Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Sunday. (Mohsin Naqvi- X)

The call to boycott the entire tournament wasn't taken, but it was indeed decided that the team wouldn't play the match against the arch-rival. Now, according to a Geo News report, the Pakistan government has decided not to grant clearance to the national team for the match against India as a sign of protest against the ICC's governance.

“The Pakistan team has been instructed not to play the February 15 match against India as a protest,” Geo News quoted a source as saying.

“The principles of justice and equality have been shattered by biased decisions,” the source added.

Also Read: Pakistan captain Salman Agha breaks silence as government seals T20 World Cup clash fate vs India: 'Humaara decision...'

The officials within Pakistan believe that ICC treated Bangladesh unfairly by not listening to their demand not to play the matches in India due to security reasons. It is worth noting that the World Body replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after the former refused to travel to India for the competition, which gets underway on February 7.

The higher-ups in the Pakistan government were not pleased with how Bangladesh was treated by the ICC, and hence, the decision was taken to forfeit the game against India. If Pakistan indeed doesn't take the field on February 15, then Suryakumar Yadav and his boys would be gifted two points owing to a forfeit by the opponent.

If Pakistan don't play against India, they risk being sanctioned by the ICC, as there are no grounds for sanctioning, since the match was scheduled to be played at a neutral venue (Sri Lanka) as per the signed agreement between the ICC, PCB and the BCCI.

Pakistan to travel to Colombo on Monday

The Pakistan contingent for the T20 World Cup will travel to Sri Lanka on Monday, February 2. The side will begin preparation with a warm-up fixture against Ireland on Wednesday, February 4.

Pakistan are in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA. Salman Agha and his boys will open their campaign on February 7 against the Netherlands, set to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

On Sunday, after winning the third and final T20I against Australia, Agha said the players had no say in withdrawing from the India game, as they would do whatever the government and the PCB asked them to do.

Pakistan's qualification into the next round might be in jeopardy if they boycott the India match, considering that no game is easy in the shortest format. After February 7, Pakistan will be seen in action on February 10 and 18 against the USA and Namibia.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vishesh Roy
Vishesh Roy is a sports journalist with a strong focus on cricket. He began his career at Asian News International (ANI), where he covered a range of high-profile events, including the India Open, Legends Cricket League, the England–India Test series in Ahmedabad in 2021, and the inauguration of the Narendra Modi Stadium. During his tenure at ANI, he also reported extensively on domestic cricket, covering several Ranji Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy matches across the country. While cricket remains his primary beat, Vishesh has also reported on tennis, football and WWE. After a stint of over three years at ANI, Vishesh moved to NDTV, where he gained hands-on experience in digital-first journalism, with a particular emphasis on live blogs and real-time news reporting. He joined Hindustan Times in October 2024 and quickly established himself with a series of exclusive interviews and source-driven stories. Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Hindustan Times was the first to report that the two-day event would be held in Saudi Arabia. In the early months of his tenure, Vishesh secured interviews with leading cricketers, including Pat Cummins, Shreyas Iyer, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rashid Latif. He has also closely tracked the rise of emerging talents such as Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Priyansh Arya by speaking to their current and childhood coaches. His background in on-field reporting has helped Hindustan Times Digital break exclusive stories on major developments, including Virat Kohli’s return to the Ranji and Vijay Hazare Trophy, IPL scheduling, and the T20 World Cup controversy involving Bangladesh and Pakistan.Read More

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