New Delhi: Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for confirming that the T20 World Cup 2026 match between India and Pakistan will go ahead.
The Pakistan government made a U-turn on its earlier stance and has now allowed the men’s cricket team to play its scheduled match against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on February 15.
“Thank you Prime Minister @CMShehbaz for ensuring the game we all love goes on. Delighted that the eagerly awaited India and Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup in Colombo will proceed as planned,” he shared on X.
“As co-host of the tournament, Sri Lanka thanks the @ICC and all concerned for their efforts. Sri Lanka hasn’t forgotten the solidarity shown by both India and Pakistan during the 1996 World Cup, when they played in Colombo at a time when others refrained due to security concerns,” he added.
The Pakistan government had earlier asked the team not to take the field for the clash against archrivals India to show support to Bangladesh, which was thrown out of the ICC T20 World Cup and replaced by Scotland after its demand for relocating its matches from India to Sri Lanka was rejected by the ICC.
But with the ICC taking a hardline stance on Pakistan’s threat to boycott the India match and with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Sri Lanka government requesting Pakistan to reconsider its decision, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given the green light to the Pakistan men’s team to play the match.
The Pakistan government said it has permitted its team to play the February 15 match because of requests from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
“In view of the outcomes achieved in multilateral discussion, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” said a statement issued by the Pakistan Government on Monday night.
The stand-off between the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board started on February 1 when Pakistan’s premier Sharif cleared the team to feature in the World Cup but barred them from taking the field in Colombo against India.
Pakistan’s boycott came in the aftermath of a stand-off between the ICC and Bangladesh, which started last month. The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s demands to relocate their matches from India to co-hosts Sri Lanka over security fears, replacing them with Scotland.
The Pakistan team is currently in Sri Lanka and will play its second Group A game against the United States on Tuesday.
(IANS)
