Pakistan’s government orders the country’s cricket team to take the field against India on Sunday in Colombo, Sri Lanka.Listen to this articleListen to this article | 1 mininfoPakistan’s cricket team will play its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15 upon the orders of its government, reversing its earlier decision to boycott the game against its old rival, citing geopolitical tensions.“The government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” the government said in a statement on Monday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe announcement came shortly after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met with the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and relayed the outcomes of his meeting with representatives of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).Top officials of the ICC held reconciliatory talks with BCB President Aminul Islam and Naqvi on Sunday with the aim of convincing Pakistan to call off its boycott of the marquee clash.Pakistan’s government said it had “reviewed formal requests extended by the BCB, as well as the supporting communications from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member nations” which sought “a viable solution to recent challenges”.Additionally, Pakistan’s PM Sharif received a phone call from Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who urged Pakistan to reverse its decision.Pakistan are scheduled to play all their World Cup games in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India.The cancellation of the high-profile game would have dealt a financial blow to the island nation, which relies heavily on its tourism industry. Advertisement Hours prior to Pakistan’s reversal of its decision, the ICC issued a statement regretting Bangladesh’s “unfortunate absence” from the tournament after the global cricket body kicked out the nation over its refusal to travel to India.The ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland last month after the South Asian nation said it wouldn’t play its World Cup games in India due to safety and security concerns fo …
