Pakistan captain Salman Ali Aga brought the ICC-Bangladesh issue back into focus during the T20 World Cup 2026 Captain’s Day press conference in Colombo on Thursday, February 5. Salman expressed his disappointment over Bangladesh not being a part of the marquee tournament and termed his absence as sad.
Bangladesh were eliminated from the tournament after refusing to travel to India for the group-stage games. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) asked the ICC to move its matches out of neighboring India due to security concerns, but the governing body refused to make changes to the existing schedule.
Bangladeshis are our brothers – Salman Ali Aga sparked debate
After Bangladesh’s exit from the tournament, Pakistan confirmed their participation, but decided to boycott the match against India on 15 February.
During the Captain’s Day press conference, Salman Ali Aga was asked about Bangladesh’s absence and said that it was unfortunate that they are no longer competing. He said that Bangladesh has always supported Pakistan and called them brothers.
“The Bangladeshis are our brothers; we are grateful for their support for Pakistan. It is a pity that they are not playing in the tournament,” Salman Ali Aga was quoted as saying by RevSportz.
Salman Ali Aga shares his excitement about leading the national cricket team in the World Cup. The captain is hopeful that the team will perform well under his leadership.
Salman Ali Aga said, “This is my first World Cup as a captain and I am very excited about it. I hope the team will do well under my captaincy.”
Bangladesh Sports Advisor thanks Pakistan Prime Minister for supporting Bangladesh
Meanwhile, Bangladesh youth and sports advisor Asif Nazrul publicly thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after Pakistan decided to boycott their match against India. He said the move shows support for Bangladesh after its withdrawal from the tournament.
“Thank you, Pakistan,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Nazrul described the boycott as a protest against the boycott of Bangladesh. He also cited Sharif’s comments at the Pakistan Cabinet meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday. The PM said that this decision has been taken after careful consideration and said that politics should not come into sports.
Uncertainty over India-Pakistan conflict; ICC responded to PCB’s stance
India and Pakistan have been placed together in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2026, which is being jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. All matches related to Pakistan will be played in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan will begin its campaign against Netherlands on Saturday, February 7 at the Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. The much awaited match between India and Pakistan will be held on 15th February at R.K. Colombo, Colombo. It is going to be held at Premadasa Stadium.
The India–Pakistan match is one of the biggest fixtures at any ICC event, and the teams are usually drawn in the same group despite political tensions. Following Pakistan’s plan to boycott the match against India, questions have arisen as to what could happen if the two sides meet later in the tournament.
The International Cricket Council reacted to Pakistan’s stance and said that it hoped that the Pakistan Board would reconsider its decision regarding selective participation.
Also read: India vs Pakistan row: Mohsin Naqvi, Jay Shah begin backchannel talks, Australia and England choose sides
