Former BCCI selector and India World Cup-winning captain Kris Srikkanth has launched a scathing attack on Pakistan following their decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match against India scheduled for February 15.
The Pakistan government has cleared its team to participate in the tournament, which begins on February 7, but has denied permission for the side to take the field against India. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to formally communicate the reasons behind the proposed boycott to the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin predicts U-turn from PCB over India match at T20 World Cup
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth dismissed the significance of Pakistan’s absence, claiming it would make little difference even if they chose to play. The former India opener also mocked Pakistan’s stance, branding them “empty vessels that make more noise.”
“Empty vessels make more noise. Pakistan are scared. They even lost the Under-19 World Cup recently and now they are talking about giving a walkover. Whether they play or not, it’s a walkover for India anyway. It doesn’t matter if they come or not. In the Asia Cup, they played all their matches against India,” Srikkanth said.
Pakistan have been placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA, with all their matches scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India.
Despite the controversy, the Salman Ali Agha-led side arrives at the World Cup on the back of a 3-0 T20I series sweep over Australia at home, although the visitors were missing several first-choice players. Pakistan reached Sri Lanka on Monday ahead of their warm-up match against Ireland on Wednesday.
Pakistan are set to begin their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7, followed by fixtures against the USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18. Their decision to skip the India match has been widely interpreted as a show of solidarity with Bangladesh, who were excluded from the tournament after refusing to travel to India citing security concerns.
