Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 participation is uncertain as PCB threatens a boycott in solidarity with Bangladesh. A final decision, including the India match, is expected soon. Rashid Latif said a government-forced boycott is still possible.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has yet to officially confirmed national team’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 after threatening to withdraw from the 20-team marquee event, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, beginning on February 7.
PCB’s stance came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially removed Bangladesh from the tournament following its refusal to play group-stage matches in India due to security concerns.
Scotland were subsequently brought in as Bangladesh's replacement in Group C, alongside West Indies, England, Nepal, and Italy. As a show of solidarity with Bangladesh, Pakistan threatened to boycott the tournament entirely or refuse to play against India in their Group A clash scheduled for February 15 in Colombo.
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With just eight days left for the T20 World Cup 2026 to begin, uncertainty looms over Pakistan’s participation. Earlier this week, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the board’s stance and confirmed that a final decision will be taken by Monday, February 2.
‘Time for Strike Has Passed’
Pakistan Cricket Board’s stance on boycotting the T20 World Cup 2026 came just less than two weeks before the marquee event. With Pakistan yet to officially confirm its stance, former cricketer Rashid Latif criticized the board’s late boycott threat.
Speaking on the YouTube channel ‘CaughtBehind’, Latif stated that it is too late for Pakistan to withdraw from the tournament entirely, adding that the PCB missed the chance to take a firm stand when the issue was being discussed at the ICC.
“The time for a strike has passed,” Latif said.
“Every decision has a timing. When the iron is hot, that’s when you strike. That time was last week during the ICC meeting," he added.
According to the original schedule released by the ICC, Pakistan have been clubbed in Group A alongside India, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia, and will begin their quest for the second T20 World Cup title when they take on the Netherlands at Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo.
Backs Pakistan to Boycott Match against Team India
The clash between India and Pakistan is one of the high-profile fixtures of the tournament, given the intense rivalry between the two sides and the significant global interest it attracts. However, the encounter is still uncertain as Pakistan’s participation remains undecided, with the board yet to take a final call on playing the fixture in Colombo.
Rashid Latif stated that Pakistan could still refuse to play against Team India if directed by the government, even if the two teams met in the final.
“If the government says we won’t play against India, the ICC will have to accept it. If they don’t, that’s where the real confrontation begins," Latif said.
India and Pakistan’s encounters were restricted to only ACC and ICC tournaments, as the bilateral series between the two teams has remained suspended for over a decade due to political tensions. Following the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, the BCCI reiterated that the national team would not play any bilateral cricket series with Pakistan, even at neutral venues.
The last face-off between India and Pakistan was in the Asia Cup last year, including the final in Dubai, which India won, maintaining their dominance over Pakistan in recent encounters.
