What happened
Pakistan’s 15-player T20 World Cup squad arrived in Colombo on Monday 2 February 2026 to begin the build-up for the tournament that starts in India and Sri Lanka on 7 February, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed on X the same day and Dawn reported. The PCB said the squad would play a warm-up match against Ireland on 4 February before the group-stage opener.
The 15-player group is captained by Salman Ali Agha and includes Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Naeem, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, with the PCB’s X post listing the full squad. Dawn reported the same names.
How the boycott decision landed
The arrival followed Sunday’s government decision to clear Pakistan’s participation in the tournament but bar the side from playing its scheduled group-stage match against India on 15 February in Colombo. The interior ministry posted the directive on X on Sunday and Dawn reported the same day that the PCB had been instructed to “selectively participate”, prompting an ICC media statement on 1 February that said “this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule”.
The ICC’s statement also said it “expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution” and would await “official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board”. Dawn reported that the PCB had not issued a formal reply at the time of the squad’s departure for Colombo. The ICC said the tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, would proceed as scheduled.
Why the team is in Sri Lanka, not India
Pakistan’s group-stage matches in the hybrid model for the 2026 tournament are scheduled in Sri Lanka, with India playing its matches in India. Dawn reported that the arrangement follows the same compromise the ICC brokered for the 2025 Champions Trophy, when India played in Dubai and Pakistan hosted its matches at home. The PCB confirmed the Colombo itinerary on its social channels, with the 15-player squad to be based in Sri Lanka for the duration of the group stage.
What remains uncertain
The PCB has not publicly responded to the ICC’s call for “a mutually acceptable resolution”, and Dawn reported the board had not confirmed whether Pakistan’s stance on the India match would shift before the 7 February start. The ICC’s statement left open the possibility of further engagement, but did not specify a deadline. Pakistan’s first group match is scheduled on 8 February against the Netherlands in Colombo.
Sources & reporting notes
This article is a synthesis of two contemporaneous reports — the PCB-sourced squad-arrival write-up in Dawn and the ICC's official media statement on Pakistan's selective participation. Sources were reviewed on 2 February 2026.
- Dawn — "Pakistan team lands in Sri Lanka for T20 World Cup"2 February 2026 · Primary for the squad arrival, the 15-player list, the warm-up schedule against Ireland, and the PCB's social-media confirmation of the itinerary.
- ICC — "ICC Statement on ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026"1 February 2026 · Independent primary record from the tournament governing body on Pakistan's selective participation, the call for a mutually acceptable resolution, and the schedule for the co-hosted India–Sri Lanka event.
