Pakistan agree to play against India at T20 World Cup after planned boycott

Pakistan has agreed to play against India in the Twenty20 World Cup match, the country’s government has said.

This reverses an earlier decision to boycott the cricket clash against its old rival, which had been cited due to geopolitical tensions.

The game is scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka on February 15.

It comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board urged Pakistan to reverse its boycott following a meeting in Lahore with the ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board.

Pakistan’s boycott of the match in Colombo stems from the ICC replacing Bangladesh with Scotland after Bangladesh refused to travel to co-hosts India.

The ICC confirmed it would not penalise Bangladesh for their refusal to play in India, also announcing Bangladesh would host an ICC event prior to the 2031 50-over World Cup, co-hosted by India and Bangladesh.

BCB president Mohammad Aminul Islam said: “We are deeply moved by Pakistan’s efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period … I request Pakistan to play the game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem.”

Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed his team would travel to Colombo for Sunday’s match regardless of Pakistan’s decision.

It now appears the match will go ahead.