Pakistan government has announced that its national team "shall not take the field" in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India without giving any reason.
The marquee fixture is scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. The tadeonal rivals are placed in Group A along with Namibia, Netherlands and USA.
Despite the ICC’s warning that selective participation will not be allowed, Pakistan haven’t changed their stance yet.
Amid the standoff, former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) not to make U-turn and maintain the stance of boycotting the India match.
If the Men in Green fail to take the field against India, the match will be ruled a forfeit under ICC rules, resulting in an automatic loss of two points and a hit to their net run rate. Moreover, severe sanctions are likely to be imposed on PCB that could isolate Pakistan cricket.
However, Akmal said the ICC should not have allowed the situation to get this far by taking action against India after the latter demanded hybrid model for the Champions Trophy last year.
“PCB should not back down! The ICC has told the Pakistan Cricket Board to reconsider its stance of boycotting the India game. Was ICC sleeping when the Asia Cup happened in the hybrid model? Was ICC sleeping when India said it would not play the Champions Trophy in Pakistan and only play on a neutral venue?” Akmal said on the ‘Game Plan’ show.
“How many times has Pakistan played in India, despite the heightened tensions between the two countries. I have gone myself. The ICC should have thought of these things three years back,” he added.
Akmal further stated that the Indian team disrespected Pakistan during the 2025 Asia Cup by avoiding handshake and refusing to collect the trophy from PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. Hence, he believes the time has come to stop playing against the arch-rivals.
“The two countries have not played a bilateral series for years now. Wasn’t that also politics? Shouldn’t the ICC have thought of ending the politics then? The PCB’s decision should be respected just as we respected India’s decision to play in a hybrid model," said Akmal.
“Things had gotten to such extreme levels. At the Asia Cup, they refused to shake hands with our players, then refused to accept the trophy. They had disrespected us,” he remarked.
