Cricket matches between India and Pakistan are always in the news, but this time politics is in the headlines more than the field. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has broken his silence on the boycott of the match against India in the T20 World Cup 2026. The interesting thing is that on one hand he says that there should be no politics in sports, while on the other hand his decision appears to be completely political. Refusal to play against India Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while addressing the federal cabinet, clearly said that Pakistan has taken a clear decision not to play T20 World Cup match against India. He said, ‘We have made our stand clear regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India.’ According to Shahbaz Sharif, this decision has been taken after careful consideration and proper assessment. He said, ‘We should take a stand in support of Bangladesh and I think this is the right decision.’ The India-Pakistan match was scheduled to be held on February 15 in Sri Lanka.
‘There is no politics in sports’, but the decision itself is political
In his statement, Shehbaz Sharif also said, ‘There should be no politics in sports.’ This is where his dual character comes to the fore. If there should be no politics in sports, then why has the government announced a boycott of the match? Earlier, the Pakistan government had posted on social media platform X that the Pakistani team will not take the field against India, but no concrete reason was given for this.
ICC’s strict reaction
After the decision of the Pakistan government, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had adopted a tough stance. The ICC clearly stated that selective participation is against the basic spirit of any global sporting event. The ICC said that all eligible teams are expected to play on equal terms and such decisions harm the fairness and credibility of the game.
Bangladesh issue and role of Pakistan
In the background of this entire controversy, the case of Bangladesh is also important. Bangladesh had refused to play in India citing security reasons, after which the ICC dropped it and gave a chance to Scotland. Pakistan’s Interior Minister and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had also met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on this issue.
India’s dominance in the field
If we look at the cricket records, Pakistan’s performance in the ICC T20 World Cup against India has been very weak. There have been eight matches between the two teams so far, out of which India has won seven. India had also made a clean sweep of Pakistan in the last Asia Cup, where the young Indian batsmen exposed the Pakistani bowling fiercely. Pakistan is giving different names to the fear of defeat from India. But Shahbaz Sharif’s dual policy has been exposed. On one hand, he is giving knowledge on sports and on the other hand, politics is also visible in his decisions. However, the neighboring country, which is suffering from poverty, forgot that if ICC’s hunter goes on, the situation of PCB can go from bad to worse.
