‘Humara decision nahi hai’: Pakistan captain Salman Agha breaks silence on India match boycott

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha on Sunday responded to the announcement by the country’s government that the cricket team will not be taking the field against India. The Pakistan government, in a social media post, confirmed that the team will be participating in the T20 World Cup but will not play the 15 February match against India.

Agha, while responding to the announcement and speaking to reporters, said, “We are going to the World Cup. Humara decision nahi hai, hum kuch nahi kar sakte. (The decision not to play against India isn't ours, so we cannot do anything about it.) Whatever our government or the PCB chief tells us to do, we will do that only.”

What did the Pakistan government say?

Pakistan had confirmed its squad for the T20 World Cup, but PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi had said that the final call on participation would be taken by 30 January or 2 February.

Naqvi, who also serves as the country’s interior minister, met with PM Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday, and an official statement by the government was released that evening.

In a post on X, the Pakistan government wrote, “The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February against India.”

Meanwhile, the ICC also responded to the statement, noting that it expects the PCB to “explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders.”

“While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule,” the ICC said in a statement.

The Pakistan boycott fiasco comes shortly after Bangladesh were thrown out of the T20 World Cup after the country refused to travel to India citing security concerns.

The marquee event is set to begin on 7 February, with the first match between Pakistan and the Netherlands. Given the growing hostilities between India and Pakistan, the Men in Green were slated to play their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.

While the Pakistan government has ruled out the game against India on 15 February, it is not yet known what the team’s stance would be if both sides face each other in the final.