In an attempt to warm relations with Bangladesh, Pakistan is allegedly hurting the sentiments of another country i.e. Sri Lanka.
Boycotting the India vs Pakistan match in Colombo on February 15 will not only lead to loss of revenue for the International Cricket Council (ICC) but will also reduce Sri Lanka’s earnings and have a negative impact on the financial side of other countries, as the India vs Pakistan match is considered to be the highest revenue generating match in the T20 World Cup 2026.
SLC writes to Pakistan to reconsider its decision
This match is going to be held in Colombo on 15th February. The ICC has already urged Mohsin Naqvi and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to reconsider their decision to skip this high-profile match.
Now, according to the latest media reports, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) has put itself in the news to discuss a possible situation with the PCB if they stick to their boycott call.
According to a report published by Cricbuzz, Naqvi recently handed over important finance and development committee posts in the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to the cricket boards of Bangladesh and UAE, leaving the island nation empty handed.
Since then, relations between Naqvi and SLC may not have been the same. Although the SLC never responded to the ACC matter, they reportedly expressed their dissatisfaction over Pakistan’s decision to avoid confrontation with India.
Call to boycott Pakistan may harm Sri Lanka’s economy
According to a TNIE report, in order to convince Pakistan, SLC had also written a letter to the Pakistan Cricket Board a few days ago, urging them to change their decision, as it would harm not only Lankan cricket but also the country’s economy.
The Cricket T20 World Cup 2026, especially the India vs Pakistan match, will be helpful for the economic growth of Sri Lanka through various aspects such as tourism. If the match does not take place, the country’s economy may suffer a huge blow.
SLC secretary Bandula Dissanayake said, “Yes, we have written a letter to the PCB. We have tried to highlight the work they have done for Pakistan cricket in difficult times in the past. We have expressed our concern over their decision, because all the preparations have been done here for the match.”
“We told them clearly that because of this decision not only Sri Lanka cricket but we as a country are losing. They are hurting the economy of our country. This will harm tourism in the country. Our economy will suffer because of this one decision.”
Important role in bringing Pakistan to a respectable position
It is important to recall the island nation’s cricket team’s tour of Pakistan last year despite several people being killed in a blast by a suicide bomber in Islamabad hours before the ODI match between the two countries in Rawalpindi.
It was reported that many Sri Lankan players wanted to leave Pakistan immediately, but SLC forced them to stay back and play the match as per the original schedule.
Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan gained more popularity due to the 2009 incident. When the bus carrying the players of the touring team was hit by a terrorist attack in Lahore. Six players were injured in the attack, which left six police officers and two civilians dead.
According to reports, SLC in its letter highlighted all its efforts to strengthen its ties with Pakistan amid the boycott controversy. The SLC is also angry with Mohsin Naqvi as he had recently handed over important roles in the ACC to officials from UAE and Bangladesh, leaving them empty handed.
Read more: Amidst the India-Pakistan dispute, Ishant Sharma revealed the problems of the players.