ICC T20 World Cup 2026: India Match Boycott ‘Not In Our Control’, Says Pakistan Captain Salman Ali Agha

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha clarified that his team’s decision to boycott the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 group-stage match against India, scheduled to be played on February 15, was taken by the Pakistan government and is beyond the players’ control.

In a social media post on Sunday, Pakistan announced a boycott of their group fixture against India. The Green Shirts were cleared by the government to play in the remainder of the tournament, which begins on February 7.

“Yeah, the India game (boycott), it’s not in our control. It’s a government decision, and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we do that,” Agha said at the captain’s conference on Thursday.

“I do not know if the game is going to happen or not, but the government has said one thing and we are going to do that. I do not know about the game,” he added. “If we have to play them again in the semifinal or final, we will have to go back to them and act on their advice.”

Agha Rues Bangladesh Removal

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif clarified on Thursday that their boycott of the India match was a protest against Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament.

Bangladesh had refused to play their group-stage matches in India due to security concerns, resulting in the ICC replacing them with Scotland. The absence of Bangladesh, who finished in the Super 8s twice, has disappointed Agha.

“Well, they (Bangladesh) are our brothers,” the Pakistan skipper said. “I’ll say they can support us in the tournament as well. And it’s really sad to see (that) they are not playing the World Cup.”

(With PTI Inputs)