Sri Lanka’s appeal falls on deaf ears as Pakistan refuses to budge: ‘Received the letter but can’t overturn decision’

The Pakistan Cricket Board acknowledged the letter from Sri Lanka Cricket but said it cannot overturn the government's decision.

Despite Sri Lanka’s last-ditch efforts to ensure the India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup match stays in Colombo, chances appear slim. As per people within the Pakistan Cricket Board, the decision-makers are in no mood to change their stance on the boycott of the India game. On Thursday evening, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board wrote a letter to the PCB, urging it to reconsider the decision and noting a potential financial impact. As India vs Pakistan continues to be a top draw in world cricket due to its rarity, plenty is on the line – revenues, ads and ratings – with failure to deliver leading to a ripple effect financially.

Chances of India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup game getting slimmer by the day. (AFP)

However, the update from the Pakistan Cricket Board isn’t promising, as its hands remain tied. “Yes, we have received the letter, but we can't overturn the government's decision. The call is firmly with the government,” PCB sources confirmed to The Hindustan Times.

While the general notion among the public and former cricketers suggests that it’s only a matter of time before the Pakistan government makes a U-turn, the fact that the World Cup begins in 24 hours, and there seems to have been no positive development, indicates that, for the first time in history, an India-Pakistan match at an ICC event could well be called off.

In its letter to the PCB, Sri Lanka Cricket emphasised its eagerness to host the marquee India-Pakistan clash, noting that all “commercial, operational, logistical and security arrangements” for the match had already been finalised. This included hospitality planning and the sale of match tickets. SLC also pointed to the strong demand for tickets, underlining unprecedented public interest and significant commercial expectations.

Sri Lanka alerted PCB of catastrophic financial consequences if Pakistan chose not to participate, citing the potential loss of anticipated tourism inflows and wider economic fallout. With speculation over a possible Pakistan boycott lingering, Colombo has already begun to feel the impact, with multiple hotel bookings reportedly cancelled.

Why has it come down to this

Tensions between India and Pakistan hit an all-time high after the Pahalgam terror attacks last May, with cricket relations suffering like never before. Last July, a couple of matches between India and Pakistan from the World Championship of Legends tournament were called off, with the coldness spilling over into the Asia Cup, where Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts through the tournament. And when India refused to take the trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi after winning the final, all hell broke loose. Naqvi fled the scene with the silverware and has yet to hand it over to the Indian team.

When the ICC decided to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, Pakistan butted in, initially threatening to boycott the entire tournament to prove their solidarity with the ousted Bangla Tigers. And on February 1, while the government did give the green light for the team to participate in the tournament, it mentioned that the Pakistan team ‘won’t take the field’ against India.