Pakistan team lands in Sri Lanka for T20 World Cup

Published
1
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

An opening
Updated 03 Nov, 2026

An opening

If this brief opportunity for peace is wasted, sparking a wider conflict, the blame will rest squarely with the US president and the bloodthirsty Zionist regime.
Pakistan’s G-24 role
03 Nov, 2026

Pakistan’s G-24 role

PAKISTAN’S new role as chair of G-24 comes at a crucial moment for the Global South. Developing nations are...
Learning from polio
03 Nov, 2026

Learning from polio

THE eighth polio case of 2026, involving a 13-month-old girl from Khyber’s Bara tehsil, raises an important...
Without consequence
Updated 02 Nov, 2026

Without consequence

From drone attacks to online harassment and legal intimidation, the methods of silencing reporters are multiplying, with little fear of punishment.
Climate diagnosis
02 Nov, 2026

Climate diagnosis

THE Lancet Countdown’s latest findings should change how Pakistan thinks about illness as much as how it thinks...
Fighting harassment
02 Nov, 2026

Fighting harassment

WORKPLACE harassment is often narrowly defined as sexual misconduct. A resolution passed by the National Assembly on...