Pakistan’s cricket team will play its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15, following a government directive that reversed its earlier decision to boycott the game over geopolitical tensions. “The government of Pakistan hereby directs the team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture,” an official statement said Monday.
The announcement came after Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to relay outcomes of discussions with the International Cricket Council and Bangladesh Cricket Board. Pakistan’s government cited formal requests from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the UAE, and other member nations seeking a solution to the dispute.
Calls from Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and intensive backchannel negotiations also influenced the decision. Pakistan will now play all its World Cup games in Sri Lanka, co-hosting the tournament with India. The reversal averts a historic boycott that would have marked the first India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash cancellation and mitigates financial and diplomatic fallout.
