When Pakistani government allowed its national men’s cricket team to take field against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 match in Colombo on 15 February, hours after that Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and told that he is delighted that the much-anticipated India-Pakistan match will proceed as scheduled on February 15.
Sri Lanka president wrote on X,” Thank you, Prime Minister @CMShehbaz for ensuring the game we all love goes on. Delighted that the eagerly awaited India and Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup in Colombo will proceed as planned.”
He added “As co-host of the tournament, Sri Lanka thanks the @ICC and all concerned for their efforts. Sri Lanka hasn’t forgotten the solidarity shown by both India and Pakistan during the 1996 World Cup, when they played in Colombo at a time when others refrained due to security concerns,”
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After the Pakistani government directed its National Cricket Team to play on 15 February against defending champion India as per scheduled fixture, this development came. The decision was taken by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after he was briefed by Mohsin Naqvi, Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the outcomes of high-level talks between the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Lahore.
In solidarity with Bangladesh, who were removed from the T20 World Cup 2026 for citing security concerns, Pakistan had earlier decided not to play against archnemesis India.
U-Turn of Pakistan
On Monday late night in a notification issued, The Pakistan government gave a go-ahead to the India-Pakistan match for February 15 in the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan government told in a statement “In view of the outcomes achieved in multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,”
“Moreover, this decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the spirit of cricket and supporting the continuity of this global sport in all participating nations.”
