Srinagar: Pakistan’s men’s cricket team is set to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, but will not play against arch-rivals India, the Government of Pakistan confirmed on Sunday, reported sports news website ‘ASports’.
For the unversed, speculation has been rife about Pakistan’s World Cup participation following the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejection of Bangladesh’s venue change request, which has led to the team’s boycott of the mega event.
The situation surrounding Pakistan’s participation intensified last week when the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament after Bangladesh refused to travel to India.
Notably, Pakistan are currently scheduled to begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on 7 February, and have been placed in Group A alongside arch-rivals, as well as the USA and Namibia.
Under the tournament’s hybrid model, Pakistan’s group-stage matches are scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, even though India is one of the co-hosts.
The move has caused unease within the PCB, which publicly backed Bangladesh’s stance during the dispute.
This is a developing story…
