Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), acting on the directive given by the Pakistan government, decided to selectively participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 by boycotting
the high-voltage clash against India, for reasons that are remotely not related to cricket. While this is not the first time a team decided to boycott a World Cup match, Pakistan walking away from the most valuable contest of the World Cup is nothing like what some of the other teams did in the past. For the unversed, Australia and the West Indies decided not to travel to Colombo in the 1996 World Cup that was co-hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The 2003 World Cup that was co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya saw England pulling out of the Zimbabwe contest, while New Zealand decided not travel to Kenya to play their World Cup match. And all of them cited security reasons for their reluctance to travel to the respective countries.
Pakistan vs India, 2026: How This Boycott Differs From Australia, England, West Indies & New Zealand
While there was a lot of speculation about the possible sanctions that any of these teams could face, at the end of the day, they were just docked points, and the tournament quietly moved on to the next game. Whether or not Pakistan face the same fate, only time will tell, but their India boycott is not another Australia, England, West Indies, or New Zealand moment. As a matter of fact, ICC went an extra mile by considering their security concerns and moving their games out of India to Sri Lanka.
The India vs Pakistan situation is not a one-off World Cup incident. The two countries don't play any bilateral series for reasons known to all of us. And hence, it was agreed upon through an ICC-brokered agreement between the PCB and the BCCI in December 2024 that both countries will play at neutral venues in ICC tournaments when any of them plays host to an ICC event. The agreement now hangs suspended, caught in limbo.
ICC had reserved the same benefit for Pakistan as it gave to India. Unless they have security concerns in Sri Lanka only for the game against India, which the rest of the world, including the ICC, is unaware of, not playing in the island nation makes little sense other than it being a political decision. So, docking a couple of points for boycotting the India game might not be the only penalty that ICC could impose on Pakistan.
