Pakistan Skipper Salman Agha Reacts To 'Brother' Bangladesh Absence From T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan men’s cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha on Thursday (February 5) referred to Bangladeshis as their (Pakistan’s) brothers and stated that it’s a pity that Bangladesh will not feature in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland last month after the Bangladesh Cricket Board refused to travel to India to play their Group C matches against the West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal in Kolkata and Mumbai. The International Cricket Council (ICC) tried to convince BCB to travel to India, but they refused, citing security reasons.

“Bangladeshis are our brothers; we are grateful for their support for Pakistan. It’s a pity that they are not playing in the tournament,” Salman Ali Agha was quoted as saying by RevSportz.

After the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, Pakistan also threatened to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 initially, but on February 1, they confirmed their participation. However, Pakistan stated that they will forfeit their Group A match against India in Colombo on February 15.

While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to informally inform the ICC about their decision of not playing the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, their (Pakistan’s) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a meeting of Pakistan’s cabinet in Islamabad on Wednesday, confirmed the decision by stating that his country has decided to boycott the India match in protest of removing Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup.

“We will not play the match against India because there should be no politics on the playground. We took this decision very thoughtfully. We should totally stand by Bangladesh. I think this is a very appropriate decision,” he said.

Bangladesh thanks Pakistan

Bangladesh’s sports adviser, Asif Nazrul, has thanked Pakistan for backing Bangladesh’s boycott of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 by boycotting their Group A match against India.

“Thank you, Pakistan,” Nazrul posted on Facebook. “Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that his country has decided to boycott the match against India in protest of Bangladesh being excluded from the T20 World Cup,” he added.