The International Cricket Board (ICC) and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are reportedly trying their best to convince Pakistan to participate in their very important match with India to be held in Colombo on February 15.
This was earlier bought in the light that SLC had sent a letter to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) requesting them not to boycott the much-hyped match. Pakistan’s decision to skip the match against India will not only hurt the International Cricket Council (ICC) but could also hurt Sri Lanka’s financial income, as the India vs Pakistan 2026 T20 World Cup match has the potential to boost the island nation’s income through their tourism system.
Sri Lanka’s economic situation may suffer a major blow
SLC informed me that the arrangements, ticket selling process, security protocols and travel allowances are all ready for that particular match. If the Mohsin Naqvi-led PCB sticks to its decision to boycott the match, it will have a bad impact on the Sri Lankan economy and the entire cricket ecosystem.
According to another media report, despite the SLC appealing to the PCB to reconsider its stance, Pakistan may not change its stance. That means the letter sent by Sri Lanka to Pakistan probably did not yield any positive result.
PCB sources confirmed to The Hindustan Times, “Yes, we have received the letter, but we cannot reverse the government’s decision. The government’s decision is completely firm.”
Pakistan may not change its stance
The decision to boycott the match with India to be held on February 15 is entirely a decision taken by the Pakistan government on Sunday. However, the decision may be heavily influenced by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is also a full-fledged minister of the country.
Through a social media post, Sarkar confirmed that their men’s team will participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 but will not take the field against India.
“We have taken this stance after careful deliberations and decided that we should stand with Bangladesh on this matter and support them. We have taken a very clear stance that we will not play matches against India. Pakistan believes that this is sport, not politics and there should be no politics in sports,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told his cabinet on Wednesday.
A country is being harmed by this decision: SLC
Later, it was reported that Sri Lanka had written to Pakistan with a request to withdraw its boycott call, highlighting some past incidents where Sri Lanka had come forward to support the nation despite the constant threat to the players’ safety.
Last year, the island nation’s cricket team toured Pakistan despite the death of several people in a blast by a suicide bomber in Islamabad hours before the ODI match between the two countries in Rawalpindi. After the incident, 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.
SLC Secretary Bandula Dissanayake said, “We told them clearly that by this decision not only Sri Lanka Cricket but we as a country are also losing. They are hurting the economy of our country. This will harm tourism in the country. Our economy will be affected because of this one decision.”
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