Danish Kaneria shares his views on India vs Pakistan boycott controversy: A cloud of crisis is looming over the India vs Pakistan 2026 T20 World Cup match as Pakistan on Sunday refused to play against Suryakumar Yadav’s team in the premier event. The decision came during India and Sri Lanka’s confirmation of their government’s participation in the World Cup. The Government of Pakistan issued a statement on the following matter last night.
Following this, the cricket fraternity is thrown into chaos, with the International Cricket Council (ICC) reportedly holding a high-emergency meeting in 48 hours to discuss Pakistan’s selective participation. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has refused to comment on the reports until some action is taken by the ICC. Danish Kaneria shared his views on the current controversy through his YouTube channel.
‘This decision was completely unexpected’- Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria said, “This decision was completely unexpected. No one expected Pakistan to refuse to play against India in the World Cup. It is difficult to understand why this boycott happened. Earlier, when the T20 World Cup was scheduled in India and Sri Lanka, Pakistan had requested not to play in India. This was understandable. The ICC had then arranged for all Pakistan’s matches to be played in Sri Lanka, and even the India vs Pakistan match was scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka instead of India.”
“So now the logic behind the boycott makes no sense. People will feel that Pakistan is scared of facing India, which is why they are refusing to play. In recent years, Pakistan has lost to India several times, and this decision by the Pakistan government may harm their own cricket more than any other.”
Danish Kaneria believes politics should be taken out of sports
Danish Kaneria further said, “The India-Pakistan rivalry that once existed is not what it used to be. That rivalry has been fading over the years. Even in the last World Cup, the hype was nowhere near what it used to be. The reason is clear: Pakistan is no longer playing the brand of cricket that India plays.”
“Keep politics out of cricket. Bringing politics into the game only hurts the players, fans and the next generation. This will cause long-term damage to Pakistan cricket and the young generation. In Pakistan, cricket is the only major sport that truly unites people. If you bring politics into cricket like this, it will harm the future of the game there.”
Pakistan cricket is in danger
India vs Pakistan matches generate double the revenue than any other game in major ICC tournaments. If Pakistan does not follow the scheduled schedule and boycotts the game, it may face a ban. They may face a ban and big teams may not travel to play bilateral series against them. Docking can also take place in World Test Championship points.
The PCB has not yet provided an official statement to the ICC regarding the announcement made by the Pakistan government. The ICC said in a release that it has taken note of the Pakistani government’s statement regarding its decision to direct its national team to selectively compete at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Also read: Rajeev Shukla joins hands with ICC to crush Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi amid T20 World Cup drama
