Pakistan team leaves for Sri Lanka to participate in T20 World Cup: PCB

The national cricket squad has departed from Lahore for Sri Lanka to participate in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a press release on Monday.

The 15-member squad includes Captain Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq.

“Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, the Pakistan team will observe complete rest today and tomorrow,” the PCBV said, adding that the team is scheduled to play a warm-up match against Ireland on 4 February.

The development comes a day after the government of Pakistan allowed the national cricket team to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, while barring the team from playing its scheduled match against India on February 15.

The decision followed a high-level meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday to deliberate on Pakistan’s involvement in the tournament.

According to an official statement, the Green Shirts will compete in the mega event but will boycott the high-octane clash in Colombo as a mark of protest and solidarity with Bangladesh.

Following that, the International Cricket Council (ICC) voiced concern over the Pakistan government’s directive for its national team to “selectively participate” in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

While the council is still awaiting official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in this regard, it warned that such a stance is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global tournament, where all qualified nations are expected to compete on equal terms.