New Delhi:Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha has given his first reaction after his government decided to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India. In a statement released on Sunday, the Pakistani government authorized the team to compete in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. However, it instructed the team not to participate in the match against India, which is set for February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
In a post on X, the government stated, "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 February 15, 2026 against India."
Salman's first response to India's boycott decisionMeanwhile, Salman has given his first reaction following this decision. He spoke on the heated topic after the conclusion of the T20I series against Australia that the Men in Green won 3-0. "We're heading 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, the PCB chief tells us to do, we will do that only, Salman told reporters in the post-match press conference.
View the video by clicking this link:Following a week of uncertainty regarding the team's participation in the tournament following the International Cricket Council's substitution of Scotland for Bangladesh, Pakistan made its decision. Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, had threatened to boycott the World Cup after the ICC decided to exclude Bangladesh from the competition. Naqvi had said that following his meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a decision regarding Pakistan's participation would be made.
Meanwhile, the PCB chairman Naqvi had met Sharif and had deferred the decision on participation in the tournament till Friday or Monday. Naqvi tweeted, "Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister ... Shehbaz Sharif," following his encounter with his PM. "I briefed him on the ICC issue, and he instructed us to find a solution while considering all available options. It was decided that either Friday or Monday of the following week would be the final decision regarding participation.