'India game is not in our control': Salman Agha breaks silence on boycotting T20 World Cup clash
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'India game is not in our control': Salman Agha breaks silence on boycotting T20 World Cup clash")
Salman Agha Photograph: (AFP)
The upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 will be the 10th edition of the tournament, which takes place in every two years. Pakistan are placed in Group A with India, the Netherlands, Namibia and the USA.
The 2026 T20 World Cup will start on Saturday (Feb 7), with India and Sri Lanka co-hosting the tournament. Ahead of the start of the competition, Pakistan captain Agha Ali addressed the media at the captains’ day press conference, where he finally broke his silence on the controversy surrounding the India vs Pakistan clash, scheduled for Feb 15 at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. He said that the team’s decision not to play against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 was made by the government, not by the players. He further explained that the players have no control over the matter and must follow official instructions.
The highly anticipated match is going to be uncertain after the Pakistan government announced a boycott. According to media reports, the decision is being linked to the support for Bangladesh, who was ousted of the World Cup after they refused to play their matches in India, saying there were security concerns.
“The India game is not in our control. It’s the government’s and the PCB’s decision and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we will do that,” Agha said during the captain’s conference.
“If we have to play them again in the semifinal or final, we will have to go back to them and act on their advice,” he added.
Also Read - 'We haven’t refused to play against Pakistan': Suryakumar Yadav on IND vs PAK T20 World Cup 2026 match
What Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif said on boycott
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also supported the boycott against India, calling it a very appropriate decision and added that the Pakistan wanted to stand firmly with Bangladesh and emphasised that politics should not be mixed with sports.
“We have taken a very clear stand on the T20 World Cup that we won’t play the match against India because there should be no politics on the sports field,” Sharif stated after a government meeting.
“We have taken a very considered stance, and we should completely stand by Bangladesh, and I think this is a very appropriate decision. We are with Bangladesh,” he added.
Few days earlier, Agha had made similar remarks that he said today at the captains’ day press conference ahead of the
T20 World Cup 2026.
“We are going to the World Cup. The decision not to play against India isn’t ours, so we cannot do anything about it. Whatever our government, the PCB chief tells us to do, we will do that only,” Agha told reporters after the third T20I against Australia on Sunday.
