Islamabad: The Pakistan government has officially allowed the national cricket team to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, however, the big decision to not play the scheduled important match against India has also come to light.
A government spokesperson confirmed in a statement on social networking site X (formerly Twitter) that Pakistan will participate in the mega event but will withdraw from the high-voltage match against India on February 15.
According to sources, the national team will leave for Sri Lanka tomorrow, Monday, to participate in the event. Officials say that the decision not to play the match against India has been taken as a matter of policy and protest strategy.
Government sources said that the perception of partiality in some recent decisions of the ICC, especially in matters related to Bangladesh, played a major role in this decision. In this context, the team has been instructed not to play the match against India as a protest.
Sports analysts say that the decision has diplomatic and political aspects as well as cricket. According to a sports analyst, “It was necessary to maintain Pakistan’s participation so that it does not get left out of the event, but boycotting the match against India will be considered a strong message.”
Now cricket fans are focused on the ICC’s response and the possible impact on the tournament schedule.
