Mohammad Hafeez, the former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, stated that “complete sportsmanship” should be displayed in the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match. The Pakistani government changed its mind about boycotting the match after a protracted dispute between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about it. Following the announcement, Hafeez expressed his support for the two sides regularly playing each other in ICC competitions and even went so far as to say that politics should not be allowed to interfere with cricket matches.
I have always supported the India-Pakistan match whenever it is discussed since it is the rivalry that motivates people all around the world. God willing, I sincerely hope the match takes place. And this game isn’t the only one. This match doesn’t appeal to me alone. My goal is for regular India-Pakistan matches to take place without politics ever being involved.
Politics should never stop cricket from growing and spreading; both nations should be free to contribute as much as they can to this endeavor. Second, we must always maintain the greatest standards of the game’s integrity and spirit, regardless of the circumstances surrounding an India-Pakistan encounter. “This match should always be played with total sportsmanship, especially if it’s on the 15th,” Hafeez stated on Tapmad.
After being persuaded by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s leadership decided to revoke its boycott call, easing a stalemate that has clouded the existing event. As a result, the India-Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup will proceed as planned.
On February 15, the match against India is planned to take place in Colombo.According to a press release from the Pakistani government, “The Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, in view of the outcomes achieved in multilateral discussions and the request of friendly countries.”
