The high voltage drama of T20 World Cup 2026 is now over. Pakistan finally announced that it is ready to play in the match against India to be held on 15 February. After making so many claims and statements, the Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board has once again made a mockery of his country and himself by doing this. When on February 1, Pakistan had enthusiastically threatened not to play the match against India, then most of the people had said that they will have to play in the end. Great cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was among the first people who openly said that this decision would not last long. He sarcastically said, ‘What is new in this? We know that Pakistani players retire and come back after four days. Same thing can happen here also. The same thing happened a week later.
Announcement in Parliament, then return
Think for yourself, the Prime Minister of a country stands in the Parliament and announces boycott and after a few days has to back out from the same decision. How disgraceful that country will be. This is what happened with Pakistan. On Monday, another statement from the Pakistani government came, in which it reversed its own decision and said, ‘This decision has been taken to save the spirit of cricket.’ It sounds great, the only problem is that the feeling came to mind when the options had almost run out.
This is not the first time, there was an upset in the Asia Cup.
Such reversal is not new in the era of Mohsin Naqvi. Last year, in the Asia Cup also, a boycott was threatened before the match against UAE. It was said that the match referee made a mistake. The story changed before the toss, it was told that an apology was granted. The referee remained there, the match took place, the matter ended. The only difference this time was that India was in front, the biggest earning match of cricket.
real collision theory vs mathematics
India-Pakistan match is considered a gold mine in the world of broadcast. It is believed that this match has a value of more than 200 million dollars. Now think, was it possible for a board whose annual income is around 35-40 million dollars to give up such a match? On paper it seemed like a revolution, but in reality it would have been a suicidal move. It’s a laughing matter isn’t it…
Politics in the name of Bangladesh
When Bangladesh raised objection regarding its matches, Pakistan called it a matter of principle. It was said that regional unity has to be shown. It was nice to hear, but the wheels of the tournament are driven not by emotions, but by logistics and money. As soon as the ICC made it clear that the rules were in place, the whole matter started changing.
what happened behind closed doors
The phones were ringing continuously. Broadcasters, sponsors, boards, everyone wanted answers. ICC engaged people for talks. Bangladesh Board was also included. Such demands came forward from Pakistan which were almost impossible to accept, like resuming bilateral cricket with India or making a new series. The ICC listened politely, then declined.
Then how was the way out?
ICC definitely said that there will be no punishment on Bangladesh and its revenue will be safe. This became the basis for declaring victory for Pakistan. The public got a result to show, even though the original threat had evaporated. It’s a matter of laughing…
What was the truth?
The real truth is that Pakistan needs the match against India more than any other board or council. Money, politics, audience, everything was related to it. If the team had not entered, the broadcasters would have asked for exemption, the sponsors would have been angry and the fans would have been the first to ask questions. Therefore the return was certain. It was just a matter of waiting for time and finally…exactly what was said from the first day happened. Pakistan will play. The statement now is that talks took place, justice was served, principles were saved. Technically it may all sound right, but the world saw when the real threat ended, when the reckoning was done.
impact on image
This entire episode has once again brought one thing to the fore, it is easy to talk about principles in a loud voice, but when mathematics comes into play, it does not take long to change decisions. The ICC heaved a sigh of relief, Bangladesh escaped fines but were out of the tournament, and Pakistan ended up where they were supposed to be…on the field.
Now what next?
When the teams enter on February 15, the stadium will be filled and TV ratings will skyrocket. People will remember the fours and sixes, this is not a week long drama. But the story behind the scenes has been recorded. There is a saying, ‘If you don’t have coal, bring 100 maunds of soap.’ That means it is not easy to change one’s nature. Therefore, if ever again such a new threat, a new boycott or a new ultimatum from Pakistan is heard in the future, then the world will probably not be that surprised. People will already assume that this is a part of the script, in the end Pakistan’s U-turn is certain. This is the biggest loss. When repeating things again and again becomes a habit, the words lose their credibility. Next time, no matter how high Pakistan’s statement is, the reaction will be, wait, the decision will change in a few days.
