Pakistan’s national cricket team departed for Sri Lanka on Monday amid mounting tensions with the International Cricket Council over their government-mandated boycott of the upcoming T20 World Cup match against India. The squad, captured in video footage released by the Pakistan Cricket Board, boarded their flight wearing new tournament kits while awaiting potential sanctions from cricket’s global governing body.
The political decision, announced Sunday through Pakistan’s interior ministry via social media platform X, orders the team to compete in the tournament while specifically avoiding the scheduled February 15 group stage encounter against India in Colombo. This selective participation has drawn sharp criticism from the ICC, which warned of consequences for undermining the fundamental principles of international sporting events.
The ICC released an official statement emphasizing that Pakistan’s stance “is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premises of a global sporting event” and that the decision ultimately harms “the global game and the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan.”
This controversy unfolds against the backdrop of decades-long political tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought four wars since partition and maintain minimal sporting contacts. The high-stakes cricket matches between these nations typically generate massive broadcast revenues and sponsor interest, making their encounters financially crucial for the sport’s ecosystem.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha expressed the team’s compliance with government directives after completing a 3-0 T20 series sweep against Australia. “It’s not our decision to boycott the India game,” Agha stated. “We can’t do anything about it. We will do whatever our government and the PCB chairman say.”
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has accused the ICC of “double standards” regarding tournament arrangements, particularly referencing the organization’s handling of Bangladesh’s security concerns. The tournament begins Saturday with Pakistan scheduled to open against the Netherlands, following a final warmup match against Ireland on Wednesday.