Mitchell Marsh gives Pakistan and Bangladesh a reality check on their T20 World Cup 2026 drama: The entire cricket world has been shaken by Pakistan’s stance of not taking the field against India for the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan has to play against India in Colombo on 15 February. But uncertainty remains over the match, as the Pakistan government has decided to boycott this high-profile match.
A Pakistani journalist tried to gain some traction by asking Australia T20I captain Mitchell Marsh a few questions – one related to calls for a boycott of Pakistan, and the other related to Bangladesh. On both occasions, Marsh gave almost the same answer to the Pakistani journalist.
Pakistan ready to boycott T20 World Cup 2026 match against India
On 1 February, Australia faced home team Pakistan for the third match of the 3-match T20I series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. By the end of the match, the Government of Pakistan announced its decision on the much-awaited India vs Pakistan match.
It was announced through a social media post that the Pakistan government has decided not to play the match against India on 15 February, but will participate in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Mitchell Marsh showed the mirror to a Pakistani reporter
When Mitchell Marsh attended the post-match press conference after the Pakistan vs Australia match in Lahore, a Pakistani journalist asked him some questions. It was certain that the Australian captain’s answers would not please the journalist enough.
The reporter raised the issue with Mitchell Marsh, “Just came to know about the Pakistan-India match on 15th February. You know that Pakistan is going to boycott the India-Pakistan match. So, if you want to add a few words about this then give your point of view.”
In response, the cricketer said that his focus is completely on T20 World Cup 2026 and not on any other topic. Therefore he did not make any special comment on Pakistan.
“Yeah, at the moment I don’t really have any comment on it. You know, we’re going to the World Cup to focus on what we’re doing, and we’ll take care of that thing,” Mitchell Marsh replied.
questions on security
The second question from the report was, “ICC full member Bangladesh is not going to participate in this World Cup due to security concerns. As a player, how do you feel about ICC full member Bangladesh not participating in this World Cup?”
Mitchell Marsh also replied in almost the same manner. But this time, he said he has confidence in the safety protocols.
“Yes, I think that’s true to my previous answer as well, that we’re going to try to win it in the World Cup, and our focus is solely on that. And as an Australian team, we trust the people that are there to keep us safe, and that’s all I’ll say,” he replied.
It is noteworthy that Bangladesh did not want to visit India due to security concerns. Bangladesh Cricket Board wanted to play the matches of T20 World Cup 2026 outside India. But as Mitchell Marsh noted, “We have confidence in the people who are there to keep us safe, and that’s all I will say,” hinting at a possible top-tier security arrangement for teams at the T20 World Cup 2026.
read more: Pakistan Super 8 qualification scenario explained after India boycott clash in T20 World Cup 2026