T20 World Cup Boycott: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has remarked that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the country would continue to extend solidarity with Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Sharif remarked that the Pakistan Cricket Team would participate in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. The Pakistani PM added that the team would however not play its match against India in Colombo on February 15, 2026. Sharif and PCB said the stance was taken as the country felt aggrieved by the ouster of Bangladesh from the World Cup event.
T20 World Cup Boycott-PCB Seeks Force Majeure Cover
Reportedly, the PCB is planning to invoke the “force majeure” clause in its agreements with the world governing body of cricket – the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, BCCI has termed the move as legally unsound and a “weak argument“.
Force Majeure Cover refers to a provision in a legal contract that delays or excuses the performance obligations of a party on the occurrence of extraordinary event(s) beyond their control, which makes the performances impossible.
According to media reports, Pakistan cannot play the force majeure clause card as the agreement clearly states that Pakistan and India would participate in ICC-affiliated events and play at neutral venues against each other.
A Full Member nation under the ICC’s Terms of Participation is required to itself mitigate all issues, including those raised by their respective government to ensure tournament participation.
Zaheer Abbas Blames India
Former Pakistani cricketer Syed Zaheer Abbas Kirmani who had the distinction of scoring three consecutive centuries in one-day internationals remarked that cricket should always remain free of politics. Abbas remarked that he personally wants both Pakistan and India to be friendly with each other. However, he expressed his displeasure with the recent ICC T20 World Cup 2026 developments.
Abbas said that Indian cricketers were wrong not to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts and not collecting the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from Mohsin Naqvi.
