The much-anticipated India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match has been suspended as the Pakistani government has asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to boycott the match. Pakistan’s decision to boycott the high-octane encounter was prompted by the Bangladesh cricket team’s exit from the tournament.
A tense geopolitical environment may have influenced Bangladesh’s rejection. To protest the ICC’s decision, only Pakistan came forward and threatened to boycott the entire tournament. After discussions with the government and Pakistani cricket officials, Pakistan suggested boycotting only its group stage match against Pakistan, which is scheduled to take place on February 15 in Colombo, a neutral venue between India and Pakistan.
Why has Pakistan decided to boycott the India vs Pakistan match of the T20 World Cup 2026?
Pakistan’s decision to boycott the match against India came as a surprise, even if it was predictable. Several media outlets have previously suggested that the PCB could say ‘yes’ to the 2026 T20 World Cup but ‘no’ to their group match against India.
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This is not the first time a team has withdrawn from a specific match. In the history of the Cricket World Cup, there are many cases where teams refused to play due to sudden reasons.
List of ICC tournament matches boycotted by teams:
1. ODI World Cup 2003, England does not travel to Zimbabwe:
The England cricket team, led by Nasser Hussain, has opted not to travel to Zimbabwe to play their World Cup match in Harare due to political tensions. The Zimbabwe government’s stance has forced the England cricket team to think about their safety in that country. It was reported that the team received death threats before the match.
Due to the off-field pressure situation, England did not travel to Zimbabwe. After that, Zimbabwe won the match by forfeit, and England were eliminated from the tournament as they lost only two points.
2. ODI World Cup 2003, New Zealand does not travel to Kenya:
In the same tournament, alongside England, New Zealand also faced an almost similar situation. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said: “We have received strong information that active terrorist organizations are currently operating in Nairobi and have the means and capability to launch a terrorist attack” before forfeiting their match against Kenya.
Kenya was given a forfeit, although New Zealand would still qualify for the next round. For the first time in its history, Kenya reached the semi-finals of the World Cup.
3. 1996 World Cup: Australia and West Indies do not travel to Sri Lanka:
The Australian and West Indies cricket teams remained in Mumbai and refused to travel to Sri Lanka after the Colombo bank bombing, which left 91 dead and many injured. Both teams had no objection to the Sri Lankan cricket team; their main concern was the security of the island nation.
Sri Lanka won both matches by forfeit, but all three teams would advance to the next round. The bomb blast occurred two weeks before the tournament.
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