Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have formally urged Pakistan to reconsider their decision to boycott the group-stage match against India at the T20 World Cup, warning of serious financial and wider repercussions.
India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the tournament, which gets under way on 07 February. Under the current schedule, the high-profile India–Pakistan fixture is due to be played in Colombo on 15 February.
Pakistan announced their decision to skip the Group A match against India as a show of solidarity with Bangladesh. Bangladesh had refused to travel to India citing security concerns, a stance that led the ICC to exclude them from the tournament and include Scotland in their place.
India and Pakistan have not contested a bilateral series for more than a decade, with the two neighbours only facing each other in global or regional competitions.
In a communication to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), SLC cautioned that boycotting the India match would result in major financial losses and could damage Sri Lanka’s tourism sector, which is still recovering from the economic crisis of 2022.
SLC said the decision would have “far-reaching consequences”, including the risk of significant revenue losses for the board and the loss of anticipated income from visiting supporters and broadcasters.
The Sri Lankan board also reminded Pakistan of its support during difficult times, noting that Sri Lanka toured Pakistan when other nations were reluctant to do so because of security concerns, helping to revive international cricket in the country.
Appealing for a rethink, SLC said: “Considering the special circumstances, the long-standing relationship between our two boards and the broader interests of cricket, we request Pakistan to take part in the scheduled match against India.”
The Pakistan team are currently in Sri Lanka. India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign at home against the United States on 07 February, while Pakistan will open their tournament against the Netherlands in Colombo on the same day.
Even if Pakistan follow through with a boycott in the group stage, the two arch-rivals could still meet later in the competition. Pakistan captain Salman Agha said on Thursday that any potential meeting with India in the semi-finals or final would be discussed with the government.
