ICC shares concerns over Pakistan’s selective participation stance

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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has raised serious concerns over a statement issued by the government of Pakistan indicating that its men’s team will compete in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup but not play its scheduled group-stage match against India. The decision has sparked intense debate across the cricketing world.

The controversy is rooted in tensions surrounding this year’s event, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, which begins on February 7. Pakistan’s team is scheduled to play all group matches in neutral venues in Sri Lanka under an existing hybrid arrangement agreed to by the ICC, but the government’s decision to bar the team from facing India on February 15 has intensified scrutiny and debate.

In a formal statement, the ICC noted that it has taken note of the Pakistani government’s directive instructing the team to engage selectively in the tournament, and that it is still awaiting official clarification from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The council emphasised that the core premise of global sporting events depends on all qualified teams fulfilling fixtures on equal terms, as laid out in the tournament schedule.

The governing body stressed that events like the T20 World Cup are founded on principles such as fairness, competitiveness and consistency, and that opting out of a fixture especially a high-profile one threatens the integrity and spirit of competition. While the ICC acknowledged that national governments have the right to determine policy, it said this particular choice does not align with the broader interests of the global game or its fans worldwide, including the large audience in Pakistan