The International Cricket Council (ICC) is in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to resolve the boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15, AFP learnt on Saturday.
The government gave the cricket team the nod to participate in the T20 World Cup 2026, but said the Green Shirts would not play their match with arch-rivals India, scheduled to be held in Colombo.
Any clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsorship and advertising revenue.
The PCB reached out to the ICC after a formal communication from the cricket world body, a source close to the developments told AFP.
The ICC was seeking a resolution through dialogue and not confrontation, the source added.
The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up after Bangladesh, who refused to play in India citing security concerns, were replaced by Scotland.
As a protest, Pakistan refused to face co-hosts India in their Group A fixture.
Pakistan, who edged out Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match and also suffer a significant blow to their net run rate.
India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this week that his team would travel to Colombo for the clash.
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade, and meet only in global or regional tournaments.
Earlier this week, Sri Lanka’s cricket board asked Pakistan to reconsider the decision to boycott the match with India.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) told the PCB that a boycott would result in a financial hit and also hurt the island’s tourism industry, which is still recovering from the 2022 economic meltdown.
Meanwhile, skipper Salman Agha has stated that if Pakistan were to face India in a semi-final or final, they would consult the government.
