Pakistan team lands in Sri Lanka for T20 World Cup

Published
The Pakistan cricket team departs for Sri Lanka on February 2. — Screengrab from video via X/@TheRealPCBMedia
The Pakistan cricket team departs for Sri Lanka on February 2. — Screengrab from video via X/@TheRealPCBMedia

The Pakistan cricket team on Monday arrived in Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup, which is set to begin on February 7.

In a post on X, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said that a 15-player squad had arrived in the country.

“The 15-player national squad includes Captain Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Naeef, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq,” the PCB said in an earlier post, the informed of the squad’s department for the global event’s venue.

In the latest update about the aquad’s arrival in Colombo, the board said the team would rest on Monday and Tuesday.

“The team will play a warm-up match against Ireland on Feb 4,” PCB added.

The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is set to begin on Feb 7.

On Sunday, the government gave the go-ahead for Pakistan’s participation in the tournament, but barred it from playing against arch-rival India on February 15.

The announcement came amid uncertainty regarding a possible boycott of the tournament over Bangladesh’s withdrawal following tensions with India.

A government source told Dawn that Pakistan had refused to play against India to express solidarity with Bangladesh. According to the government source, the primary reason for boycotting the match with India was the ICC’s “biased decision” towards Bangladesh.

Opinion

Editorial

Beyond declarations
Updated 15 Jul, 2026

Beyond declarations

States that fail to harness the talents of half their population limit their own growth and resilience.
A timely authority
15 Jul, 2026

A timely authority

EVERY summer now seems to bring fresh warnings from Pakistan’s northern mountains. This week was no different, ...
India voter purge
15 Jul, 2026

India voter purge

AFTER over 12 years of BJP rule, minorities in India — particularly its Muslims — face fascist thuggery at the...
Dire straits
Updated 14 Jul, 2026

Dire straits

FOR some time, the escalating confrontation between the US and Iran has been playing out round the strategically...
Ethnic targets
Updated 14 Jul, 2026

Ethnic targets

THE murder of five workers from Punjab in Mashkel is another grim reminder that ethnic violence remains a persistent...
Poverty punished
14 Jul, 2026

Poverty punished

THE challenge of illegal migrations should be viewed through a humanitarian lens. Harsh punishments for the poor...