Pakistan Government Tells National Team to Boycott India-Pakistan T20 World Cup Match Against ICC Discretion

The Pakistan cricket team has been instructed to boycott its matchup against India in the ICC T20 World Cup. The heavily anticipated matchup, as is always the case between the two rival nations, will likely cost Pakistan a crucial loss of net run rate, as their match will be considered a forfeiture.

As per clause 16.10.7 in the ICC’s playing conditions, forfeiting a match would ensure that Pakistan would have the net run rate from the match equivalent to not having scored any runs in their full 20 overs.

This all but guarantees that a tied points finish would mean Pakistan struggles to make it out of the group stage.

The blockbuster match, which was scheduled to be played in the neutral venue of Colombo, Sri Lanka, was originally stipulated for February 15th. Pakistan and India have had strained relations on the field in recent times, evident in the teams’ refusal to shake hands and the subsequent external drama in the Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan completed a 3-0 sweep of Australia at home, while India is in red-hot form, tying the most consecutive series wins at 11 in their five-match series against New Zealand.

The global tournament kicks off with the Netherlands facing off against Pakistan on Friday, and the tournament is hosted in India and Sri Lanka. With Bangladesh’s replacement by Scotland due to the country’s refusal to play their scheduled matches in India, the tournament has already had plenty of theater before it culminates.