Match to go ahead in Sri Lanka on Sunday after government intervention
Ali Martin
Mon 9 Feb 2026 19.00 GMT
Pakistan have agreed to fulfil their T20 World Cup fixture against India on Sunday, backing away from a proposed boycott after government-level negotiations helped avert a crisis that threatened to cost cricket millions.
The match, scheduled to take place in Colombo, had been thrown into doubt after the Pakistan government instructed the team to forfeit the game in solidarity with Bangladesh, who withdrew from the tournament last month. Bangladesh pulled out after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected a request to play their matches outside India on security grounds, with Scotland brought in as a replacement.
Pakistan’s planned boycott raised serious concerns within the sport, given the India–Pakistan fixture’s importance to the ICC’s £2.2bn ($3bn) global broadcast deal.
However, talks in Lahore over the past few days involving the ICC, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and representatives of co-hosts Sri Lanka have broken the deadlock.
As part of the agreement, Bangladesh will face no sanctions for their withdrawal and have been awarded hosting rights for a future ICC tournament. In return, Pakistan will drop their boycott and proceed with the high-profile match against India.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the Pakistan government said: “This decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the spirit of cricket, and to support the continuity of this global sport in all participating nations.”
The ICC welcomed the resolution, saying: “It was agreed that all members will respect their commitments as per the terms of participation for ICC events and do all that is necessary to ensure that the ongoing edition of the ICC men’s T20 World Cup is a success.”
Earlier, the BCB president, Aminul Islam, had urged that the match go ahead “for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem”.
He added: “We are deeply moved by Pakistan’s efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish.”
