ICC can’t punish Pakistan for boycotting India at T20 World Cup: Ex-chairman

Former International Cricket Council chairman Ehsan Mani has revealed that the governing body can’t punish Pakistan for boycotting India’s match in the upcoming T20 World Cup. While the Pakistan government has given permission to the team to travel to Sri Lanka, they said the side will not take the field against India.

India and Pakistan were once again placed in the same group by the ICC and they were all set to lock horns against each other on 15th February at Colombo.

The Pakistan government posted on X, “The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India.”

Mani said the ICC can’t punish Pakistan cricket as they are following government instructions.

“There can’t be any sanctions against Pakistan if it follows government instructions. That was the basis on which India refused to play its 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan. You can’t have double standards,” Mani was quoted as saying by Sportstar. “Instead of dealing with the problem, the ICC has just stood there as a bystander.”

After Pakistan’s government boycott threat, ICC has warned the PCB about the implications.

“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country, as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of,” the ICC said in a statement.

Pakistan are in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands, and USA, and are playing all their matches in Sri Lanka, which is a co-host of the tournament along with India.