Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has finally broken his silence on the decision that will see his team forfeit their high-voltage T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India, making it clear that the call was completely out of the players’ control.
Speaking after Pakistan sealed a dominant 3–0 T20I series sweep over Australia in Lahore on Sunday, Agha was asked about the government directive preventing Pakistan from taking the field against India on February 15 in Colombo. His response was candid.
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“We are going to the World Cup. Humara decision nahi hai, hum kuch nahi kar sakte. Whatever our government and the PCB chief tell us to do, we will do that only,” Agha said.
While the Pakistan government has cleared the team to participate in the 20-team tournament, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, it has formally instructed the side to boycott the India fixture. As a result, Pakistan will forfeit the match and concede two points.
Despite a prior understanding between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that bilateral matches would only be played at neutral venues, Pakistan’s refusal to play the India game has raised eyebrows. The ICC has reportedly urged the PCB to reconsider its stance, though no sanctions or punitive action have been announced so far.
The decision comes in the wake of Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament after they declined to travel to India citing security concerns. The PCB, under chairman Mohsin Naqvi, had publicly backed Bangladesh and accused the ICC of applying double standards.
Following multiple meetings between Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the government’s position was formally conveyed on Sunday evening. Pakistan will play all other matches in Sri Lanka, but the India fixture has been officially ruled out for now.
Notably, the announcement coincided with Pakistan unveiling their T20 World Cup jersey and confirming travel plans to Colombo. The squad is set to arrive on February 2, ahead of a warm-up match against Ireland.
