T20 World Cup 2026: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to confirm its participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 on Friday, as per a report by PTI. The report also claimed that the senior men's side is expected to travel to Colombo on February 2, which puts all speculations around 'boycotting' the tournament. Notably, there were also reports from Pakistani media, which claimed that PCB is considering boycotting the cash-cow clash against India on February 15.
However, the report clearly debunked those speculations as well.
"The PCB has already made travel arrangements for the World Cup squad to leave early morning on February 2 for Colombo," a source close to PCB was quoted as saying by PTI.
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The source also claimed that the Cricket Board had expressed support to the Bangladesh Cricket Board over their "security concerns" in playing in India. However, it cannot do anything more than could damage its own position within the ICC.
The BCCI, PCB and ICC had also entered into a tripartite agreement under which all India-Pakistan matches in ICC events until 2027 will be played at neutral venues.
"Keep in mind Pakistan's entire World Cup schedule is in Sri Lanka, including the final if they qualify. So on what grounds can they boycott the tournament or the match against India?" he asked.
No Logic In Boycotting Match Against India
There has been speculation in sections of the media that Pakistan could pull out of the tournament or refuse to play India.
"When the PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, met with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, he made it clear that all options under consideration should ensure a stable and prosperous future for Pakistan cricket and maintain good relations with the ICC and member boards," the insider said.
He added that the speculation lacked logic and failed to explain on what grounds the PCB could skip the World Cup or boycott the India match.
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"The Indian government has said no to its team playing in Pakistan, but there is no bar on India playing Pakistan in Asia Cup-level events or in ICC events at neutral venues," he said.
"So how will Pakistan justify boycotting the match against India when its government has always claimed politics should not be mixed with sports?" he asked.
Inputs from Agency