As Pakistan stood firm on its decision to bar the national team from taking the field against India in their T20 World Cup 2026 clash on February 15, an attempt was made to rope in Australia captain Mitchell Marsh for his views on the controversy.

Australia are currently touring Pakistan for a three-match T20I series, which concluded with the hosts completing a dominant 3-0 sweep. Following the series, Marsh was confronted with some unexpected political questions during the post-match press conference.

A Pakistani reporter first asked Marsh for his opinion on Pakistan’s decision to boycott the high-profile India fixture at the World Cup. Marsh, however, chose to shut down the topic immediately, making it clear that Australia were focused solely on their own campaign.

“I don’t really have a comment on that at this point in time,” Marsh said. “We’re going to the World Cup to focus on what we’re doing, and we’ll let that stuff take care of itself.”

The reporter then followed up with a question regarding Bangladesh’s exclusion from the tournament after the ICC full member refused to travel due to security concerns. Once again, Marsh refused to be drawn into the issue.

“I think the same goes for my previous answer,” he said. “We’re going to the World Cup to try and win it, and we’re solely focused on that. As the Australian team, we trust the people who are in place to keep us safe.”

Australia’s Pakistan tour ended on a disappointing note, with Salman Ali Agha’s side handing them a clean sweep. However, the defending champions will take confidence from the return of several injured stars as they begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 11.

Also read: Timeline: Events that led to Pakistan boycotting India in the T20 World Cup