Pakistan will face India in their third group-stage match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday (February 15). The marquee fixture is scheduled to take place at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Both teams have registered two wins so far in the ongoing tournament, and the winner of Sunday’s clash will become the first side from Group A to qualify for the Super 8s.
Ahead of the high-profile game, a snake appeared in the Pakistani dugout. It happened in the evening on Friday (February 13), just when the Men in Green were about to reach the venue for training. The footage of the incident is going viral on the internet.
Here’s the clip:
On the eve of the match, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha addressed a press conference, where he urged both teams to uphold cricket’s traditional values.
During the Asia Cup tournament in the UAE last September, the Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian side refrained from shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts as the games were played amidst heightened tensions between two nations following the Pahalgam terror attack and retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
The arch-rivals faced each other thrice in the continental event and India emerged victorious on all occasions, including the title clash. In all three meetings, the Men in Blue refused to shake hands and exchange post-match pleasantries with the Pakistan players, who also engaged in provocative gestures on the field.
"The game should be played in that spirit of cricket," Agha told reporters on Saturday. "What I expect doesn't matter. But I do feel the game should be played in the way it has been played since cricket started. Rest is upto them [India], whatever they want to do."
When asked if Pakistan would shake hands if India offered, Agha diplomatically answered: “We will find out tomorrow (smiles).”
India hold a dominant 7-1 record over Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cups. Overall, the Men in Blue have won 13 of the 16 T20Is between the two sides.
Agha hoped his team would focus on the learnings from previous defeats. "We don't have a good record against them in World Cups. But each time you play a new match, it is a new day and you have to play good cricket to win. You can't change history, but you can learn from it. And we have learned things and we will try and put up a good performance and win," he remarked.
