Pakistan To Take Decision On T20 World Cup Participation On Friday Or Next Monday

Pakistan will take a decision on their participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Friday (January 30) or next Monday (February 2). After his meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Monday evening, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi posted a tweet via which he confirmed the development.

In his now viral tweet, Naqvi stated that he had a productive meeting with Sharif.

“Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday,” Naqvi tweeted.

Pakistan’s schedule in T20 World Cup 2026

As

per the T20 World Cup 2026 schedule released by the ICC, Pakistan will open their campaign on February 7 against the Netherlands. The first match of the T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Pakistan’s second Group A match against the United States of America is also scheduled to take place at the same venue on February 10.

The high-voltage match between India and Pakistan will be played on February 15 at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, and their last Group A match is against Namibia on February 18 at SSC, Colombo.

DATE	DAY	AGAINST	VENUE	START TIME (IST)
February 7	Saturday	Netherlands	Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo	11:00 AM
February 10	Tuesday	USA	Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo	07:00 PM
February 15	Sunday	India	R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo	07:00 PM
February 18	Wednesday	Namibia	Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo	03:00 PM

Pakistan’s performance in T20 World Cups

Pakistan have featured in all nine editions of the T20 World Cups played so far. They won the title in 2009 and finished as runners-up in the 2007 and 2022 editions of the shortest-format mega-event. In 2010, 2012 and 2021, they featured in the semifinals but failed to make it to the title decider.

YEAR	HOST COUNTRY	PAKISTAN’s PERFORMANCE
2007	South Africa	Runners-up
2009	England	Winners
2010	West Indies	Semifinalists
2012	Sri Lanka	Semifinalists
2014	Bangladesh	2nd round
2016	India	2nd round
2021	UAE	Semifinalists
2022	Australia	Runners-up
2024	West Indies and USA	1st round

Salman Agha to lead PAK

All-rounder Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026. The PCB announced Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the 20-team tournament on Sunday (January 25). The squad features the likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan, among others, but Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan were not included.

Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad: Salman Ali Agha (C), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (WK), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (WK), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (WK), Usman Tariq.