Sri Lanka have formally appealed to Pakistan to rethink their reported decision to stay away from the much-anticipated T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India.
The marquee Group A encounter between India and Pakistan is slated for February 15 at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium. However, on February 1, the Pakistani government announced that the national men's team would boycott the fixture against India, even though Pakistan is expected to take part in the rest of the tournament.
According to reports, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Shammi Silva has written to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), urging them to reconsider any move to forfeit the high-profile contest.
In its communication, Sri Lanka Cricket stated that it became aware through media
coverage that Pakistan may have decided to abstain specifically from the India-Pakistan match scheduled in Colombo. SLC underlined that, as one of the host nations, Sri Lanka has already completed all commercial, logistical, operational, and security preparations for the matches assigned to it, including hospitality arrangements and ticketing.
The board highlighted that ticket sales in Sri Lanka-especially for the India-Pakistan fixture-have witnessed overwhelming demand, underlining unprecedented fan interest and substantial commercial expectations surrounding the game.
Sri Lanka Cricket cautioned that Pakistan's absence from such a flagship match could lead to serious consequences, ranging from significant financial losses to a reduction in expected tourism revenue, along with broader economic repercussions.
Drawing attention to past cooperation, SLC recalled that the Sri Lankan national team toured Pakistan on multiple occasions during difficult and sensitive periods, including times when security concerns had discouraged several other international teams. Those tours, the board noted, were undertaken in good faith and with a commitment to maintaining strong cricketing ties between the two nations.
On that basis, Sri Lanka Cricket expressed hope that the same sense of mutual respect and reciprocity would prevail, assuring Pakistan of complete neutrality, professionalism, and robust security for all fixtures hosted in Sri Lanka.
The letter concluded with a respectful appeal to the PCB to reconsider any plan to boycott or selectively skip the India-Pakistan match and called on Pakistan to participate fully in all scheduled games in Sri Lanka, in the larger interest of the tournament, its stakeholders, and millions of cricket fans around the world.
