Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reiterated that they won't play the T20 World Cup group stage match against India.
The saga between the two neighbouring
continues ahead of the World Cup and Pakistan earlier announced its decision to 'boycott' the match against India to show solidarity with Bangladesh, who were eventually removed from the competition for their demands.
Although Pakistan have already travelled to Sri Lanka to play their group stage matches, the chief of nation confirmed that they won't play against India.
"We have taken a very clear stand on the T20 World Cup that we won't play the match against India because Pakistan said this a field of sports, not politics. There should be no politics on the sports field. We have taken a very considered stance, and we should completely stand by Bangladesh, and I think this is a very appropriate decision," Sharif said.
The ICC has already broken its silence since Pakistan's official statement. The apex body of world cricket debunked Pakistan's demands earlier and warned them of the long-term consequences for boycotting the match.
"The ICC notes the statement that the government of Pakistan has made 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," a statement from ICC said.
Read Here: Anurag Thakur Reacts to Pakistan's India Match Boycott Ahead of T20 World Cup
Pakistan open their World Cup campaign in Colombo against the Netherlands on February 7, while their match against India is slated to be on February 15 in Colombo as well. The Indian team is expected to travel to the Sri Lankan capital as per the routine amid the uncertainty, and will follow the norm before the match, including press conference and training.
