Pakistan agrees to play India at T20 World Cup on Feb 15

DEVELOPING STORY, Pakistan agrees to play India at T20 World Cup on Feb 15Pakistan’s government orders cricket team to take the field against India on Sunday in Colombo.Published On 9 Feb 2026Pakistan’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 itemslist 1 of 4India now sets the terms of global cricketlist 2 of 4Mumbai or Kathmandu? Nepal fans light up T20 World Cup despite painful losslist 3 of 4A long time coming: Italy to make World Cup cricket debut on February 9list 4 of 4As T20 World Cup begins, ousted Bangladesh rues politicisation of cricketend of listThe announcement came shortly after Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi met with the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and relayed the outcomes of his meeting with the representatives of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB ).Top officials of the ICC held reconciliatory talks with BCB Chairman Aminul Islam and Naqvi on Sunday with the aim to convince 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.