Pakistan ends boycott, to play India in Colombo

Pakistan has reversed its decision to boycott the ongoing T20 World Cup and will face India in their Group A match as scheduled.

The match will take place at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday, February 15. 

This U-turn follows intense pressure from the ICC, which enforced the Members Participation Agreement mandating participation, and concerns over penalties and economic impacts on co-host Sri Lanka. 

One of the by-products of the meeting was the decision not to penalise Bangladesh for pulling out of the tournament.

The saga began when PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in late January, leading to an initial stance to skip only the India game as a sign of solidarity with Bangladesh’s earlier issues and past tensions, like handshake refusals. 

Other boards, including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, urged reconsideration, warning of fallout for the tournament ecosystem. 

PCB sources say the board still wants bilateral series talks with India revived through the ICC. Naqvi raised the issue at a recent meeting, but no agreement has come yet. 

Both teams have started the tournament with wins. India beat the USA on Friday after losing six wickets for 20 runs in the middle order. Pakistan chased down the Netherlands’ total by three wickets on Tuesday. 

Rohit Sharma leads India, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav in form at the top. Pakistan go in under Salman Ali Agha in some reports, building on their Asia Cup performances last year.

The match is the main attraction of Group A. Colombo’s pitch offers early swing for fast bowlers and turn for spinners later. Teams expect dew to play a part in the second innings, which could favour chasing sides. 

Pakistan’s attack, including their pace options, will target India’s middle order. India will look to their spinners to control the game on a used surface.

Head-to-head records show India with the edge in T20Is, winning seven of the last 10 meetings. Their last World Cup clash in 2024 saw India win by six runs in New York. Pakistan have not beaten India in a T20 World Cup since 2012 in Bangladesh.

If Pakistan advance past the group stage, the tournament uses a hybrid model. Semi-finals and the final will stay in Colombo rather than moving to Lahore as originally planned.

Ticket sales for the India-Pakistan game sold out within hours, with 35,000 fans expected.