INDIA started it; Pakistan have put a stop to it. The government’s decision to allow the Pakistan cricket team to compete at the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, but not to play their match against India comes after months of unpleasant actions and posturing by their rivals. Indian players refused to shake hands with the Pakistanis at last year’s Asia Cup. They then refused to collect the winners’ trophy from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council. India then soured its relations with Bangladesh, resulting in the latter asking for the relocation of their World Cup matches in India. Pakistan stood with Bangladesh, which had expressed security concerns — something India has explicitly done in the past, using it as an excuse to avoid playing matches in Pakistan. The India-led International Cricket Council subsequently replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, with Pakistan calling it hypocrisy. Mr Naqvi referred the matter to the government for a final decision on Pakistan’s participation; the decision came on Sunday following the team’s whitewash of Australia in their three-match T20 series.
It is a bold step, with Pakistan openly expressing its discontent at the manner in which the game is being handled. For all its posturing — and refusing to play bilateral series against Pakistan — India has never declined to play the money-spinning fixture against their arch-rivals at a multilateral tournament. In forfeiting that, Pakistan has clearly indicated that it is pushing for equality in the sport. The ICC reacted immediately, stating that Pakistan should consider the “long-term implications for cricket in its own country”. However, that should not faze the PCB, which unlike the rest of the cricketing world, has survived without having to rely on India for bilateral series. The onus, instead, is on the ICC. For long, it has operated on India’s whims, never calling out the politicisation of cricket. For the sake of the sport, it should work on addressing that.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2026
