- Choice comes as ICC removes Bangladesh from match lineup.
- ICC chief Jay Shah criticised for partial, biased choices: sources.
- Pakistan will play T20 World Cup 2026 matches at impartial venues.
In an unprecedented transfer, Pakistan on Sunday introduced that it will take part within the T20 World Cup 2026 however would boycott the match in opposition to arch-rival India.
The choice, introduced by the Authorities of Pakistan, follows the Worldwide Cricket Council’s (ICC) elimination of Bangladesh from the match after Dhaka raised safety issues over taking part in in India.
“The Authorities of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Group to take part within the ICC World T20 2026,” the federal government mentioned in a submit on X.
“…nevertheless, the Pakistan Cricket Group shall not take the sector within the match scheduled on fifteenth February 2026 in opposition to India.”
The explanations behind Pakistan’s resolution to not play the T20 World Cup match in opposition to India on 15 February have come to gentle. The transfer was supposed to point out solidarity with Bangladesh, authorities sources informed Geo Information.
A number of components influenced the choice, with the ICC’s perceived biased stance in direction of Bangladesh taking part in a central function, they mentioned, including that the Pakistani group was instructed to not take the sector in opposition to India on February 15 as “a type of protest”.
The sources mentioned that ICC chief Jay Shah’s partial choices had successfully turned the Worldwide Cricket Council into an extension of the Indian cricket board.
They additional mentioned that these biased choices have undermined the rules of equity and equality, accusing the ICC of making use of completely different requirements to completely different international locations on its platform.
The event comes after the ICC rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to maneuver their matches to a venue outdoors India.
The BCB had sought the change following the elimination of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the directions of the Indian cricket board, a transfer that sparked widespread outrage in Bangladesh.
Nevertheless, the ICC changed Bangladesh with Scotland within the match on Saturday, stating that it was not possible to revise the schedule so near the February 7 begin of the World Cup.
In the meantime, below an current association between Pakistan and India, the Males in Inexperienced will play any ICC fixtures, together with their T20 World Cup matches, at impartial venues.
For the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan’s matches are scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka.
