Pakistan Captain Defers India Match Decision to Government Amid ICC Concerns

"Yeah, the India game, it's not in our control. It's a government decision, and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we do that. We're also playing three other games, and we are very excited about that. Yeah, we lost to the USA in the last World Cup, but that's history now. It's a new World Cup, a new team, and a new combination. And we are very excited for that," Salman Agha said during the Captain's Day press conference ahead of the T20 World Cup.

While uncertainty remains over whether the match will take place against India, the Pakistan captain stressed that the team is fully focused on the rest of the World Cup group stage matches. "There are three other games. They can come and watch that game, and I'm sure they will be excited as well. Don't worry."

Responding to a question on whether the stance would remain the same if the two teams (India and Pakistan) were to meet in the subsequent stages of the tournament, Salman Agha said the matter was beyond the team's control.

"I have mentioned that before. It is a government decision, and we respect that," he said. "We will do what they are going to say, and we will do that."

The captain added that there is no clarity at this stage on whether such a game would take place. "Regardless, I do not know if the game is going to happen or not, but the government has said one thing, and we are going to do that. I do not know about the game."

The Pakistan captain also downplayed concerns about weather disruptions in Colombo, saying the team prefers to focus solely on controllable factors. "The weather is something you can't control. We don't really think about what we can't control," he said. "We are just here to play good cricket, and whatever challenges are thrown at us, we will deal with that."

Pakistan decided to boycott its group-stage match against India in the T20 World Cup after the Pakistan government posted on X that the Pakistan Team "shall not take the field" in the match against India without providing any reason. Following the Pakistan Government's decision, the International Cricket Council (ICC) issued a statement saying that "selective participation" is not fair to the "fundamental premise of a global sporting event" and that it expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution that protects the interests of all stakeholders.

ICC said in a release that it has noted the Government of Pakistan's statement regarding the decision to instruct its national team to selectively participate in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026."While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule," the release said.

It said that ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions.

"While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan. The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country, as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of," the release said.

It said ICC's priority remains the successful delivery of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which should also be the responsibility of all its members, including the PCB. "It expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders," the release said.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and the country's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, last month met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to brief him on the matter of the International Cricket Council (ICC) decision after Bangladesh refused to send its team to India over purported "security concerns". The ICC announced last month that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.

The announcement came after the ICC, in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India, rejected the BCB's demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka for the 20-team tournament, to be played from February 7 to March 8, according to a release.

Scotland is the highest-ranked T20I side that did not originally qualify for the tournament. They are currently ranked 14th, ahead of seven teams already in the tournament: Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States of America (USA), Canada, Oman and Italy.

- ANI