Pakistan made a big U-turn after vehemently refusing to play vs India, in the T20 World Cup 2026 fixture on Feb 15. After almost 10 days, their government changed the decision of playing the co-hosts in Colombo. While they claim it as a big win against the ICC, it has solved no real purpose.
IND vs PAK match back on track
All this, just to get Bangladesh back into the World Cup; after they withdrew their participation. Following this U-turn, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar has lashed out at Pakistan. “They said that they stood with Bangladesh. Because Bangladesh was not allowed to have its matches in Sri Lanka, how can you say that you have stood with them? Bangladesh is out of the tournament.
“Because of these special circumstances, the ICC was never going to withhold Bangladesh’s appearance money or penalise it. I don’t think that could have happened because it was such a last-minute situation,” Gavaskar told India Today. The legend went on to add, if Pakistan really wished to show solidarity, they should have boycotted the entire tournament.
Gavaskar slams Pakistan
“To say that you have helped Bangladesh get their share of the pie-sure, you might have got them their share of the pie. But have you got them back into the tournament? You haven’t. If you really stood with Bangladesh, you should have also opted out of the entire tournament.
“Why are you only skipping the India match? India is not the only one to object to Bangladesh’s request. There were 11 or 12 other countries that said Bangladesh’s matches could not be shifted to Sri Lanka, but you are still going to play them. So what are you talking about?” he added.
