Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has reacted to the government’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match against India. On Sunday, February 1, the Government of Pakistan confirmed that the national team would take part in the tournament but would skip the high-profile clash against their arch-rivals.
The decision follows the ICC’s move to remove Bangladesh from the competition. Bangladesh refused to travel to India for their matches due to security concerns. They did not change their stance. As a result, the ICC replaced them with Scotland.
Salman Ali Agha Says Players Will Follow Orders
Speaking about the issue, Salman Ali Agha made it clear that the matter was not in the players’ hands. He said the team would strictly follow instructions from the government and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He also stressed that personal opinions do not matter in such situations.
Agha confirmed that Pakistan will play the rest of the matches in the tournament. However, the team will fully comply with the official decision regarding the India fixture.
“Yes, absolutely, we will go. But that is not our decision, sir, and we cannot do anything about it. Whatever our government and our chairman instruct us to do, we have to follow. Only then will we go, and we will do that,” Agha said in the press conference as quoted by India Today.
Pakistan are scheduled to play India on February 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. All of Pakistan’s group-stage matches will be held in Sri Lanka. They are placed in Group A along with India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA.
Pakistan enter the tournament in strong form. They recently defeated Australia by 111 runs to complete a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series.
If Pakistan do not take the field against India, the match will be declared a forfeit under ICC rules. Pakistan will lose two points and suffer a hit to their net run rate. The ICC is also reportedly considering further sanctions, including possible restrictions related to the Pakistan Super League and future hosting rights.
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