Pakistan cricket team cleared to play T20 World Cup but boycott India match on Feb.15
- Last updated: February 1, 2026 | 19:19 ..
The Pakistani government cleared its national team on Sunday to compete in the Twenty20 World Cup starting from February 7, but stopped them from playing arch-rivals and tournament co-hosts India.
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” a post of the government’s X account said.
On Monday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi had met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif as the possibility of a boycott of the T20 World Cup loomed over Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the tournament.
After the meeting, Naqvi had said he had briefed the PM on the “International Cricket Council (ICC) matter” and a “final decision would be taken either on Friday or next Monday.”
The meeting took place as questions were raised about Pakistan’s participation in the tournament following the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland.
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland on January 24, following their refusal to tour India over safety concerns in the wake of soured political relations between the Asian neighbours.
The governing ICC had rejected Bangladesh’s request to move their matches to tournament co-host Sri Lanka, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the Feb.7 start of the tournament.
Hours before the ICC had announced its decision, Naqvi had said that Bangladesh was being treated unfairly and should be allowed to participate in the tournament.
At the time, he had said that Pakistan’s participation was still not confirmed. “The prime minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I’ll be able to give you our final decision,” Naqvi had said.
The events underline the current tension in South Asian cricket.
The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is set to begin on Feb.7.