Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi has said that Pakistan’s decision to play the group-stage match against India at the T20 World Cup “reflects our magnanimity”.

The spokesperson expressed said this during a weekly FO briefing where he was asked whether Pakistan’s decision to play the match against India after announcing an initial boycott was the consequence of back-channel cricket diplomacy between the two sides.

In response, Andrabi said: “Cricket is a game that we all love and we all cherish. We grew up playing this game. Weaponisation of cricket, politicisation of cricket is regrettable.”

He explained that the government’s decision to not play against India “reflected the resolve of the government of Pakistan to not let cricket be weaponised and politicised”.

“Our subsequent decision to play reflected our magnanimity, after the relevant cricket authorities realised that they had weaponised and politicised cricket, particularly weaponised against Bangladesh.

“As you are aware, the Bangladesh side and Sri Lankan side (host of this game) were in touch with our government and cricket board,” he highlighted.

“So the decision to play the game, is reflective of the magnanimity shown by our prime minister as a result of contacts made by the brotherly countries of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as well as by a realisation within the relevant authorities managing cricket internationally and in India, that weaponisation and politicisation of cricket is wrong, is unwarranted, and it defies the spirit of the beloved game of cricket that we all cherish,” he said.