The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hasn’t confirmed participation for the T20 World Cup 2026. But tickets for Sri Lanka have been booked, players have been told to prepare themselves for the tournament, and the flight will land in Colombo on February 2.
“Despite the uncertainty over the participation in the World Cup, the Pakistan team is booked with the Australian team to fly out to Colombo via an Air Lanka flight from Lahore. We hope that by Friday, the PCB chief, Mohsin Naqvi, will have cleared the team’s participation in the mega event,” sources told Telecom Asia Sport.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had previously stated that the board will announce their decision on either Friday (January 30) or Monday (February 2).
“All the players have been told that they must remain in a positive mood as far as participation in the World Cup is concerned. Some players from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have even brought all their luggage, keeping in mind they could be out of the country for more than a month,” sources added.
PCB advised to toe the line
The PCB had expressed displeasure with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the ousting of Bangladesh from the tournament. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had refused to send their team to India, citing security concerns, and the ICC had replaced them with Scotland in Group C.
Naqvi pointed out that ICC has double standards. India was allowed to play the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, but Bangladesh wasn’t given the same treatment for the T20 World Cup. He hinted at boycotting the tournament. Later, Najam Sethi even called the ICC the ‘Indian Cricket Council’.
In the meantime, Naqvi has been having conversations on whether Pakistan should travel to Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup. He met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Islamabad on January 26 and has also consulted with two former PCB Chairmans Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja.
It seems like Naqvi has been advised to send the Pakistan team to Colombo. Reports had suggested that if Pakistan doesn’t pull out of the T20 World Cup, they’ll boycott the India match on February 15. But Sethi and Raja have advised not to boycott the India game.’
“Naqvi also took advice from President Asif Zardari and from the military establishment before meeting former PCB chairmen Najam Sethi and Ramiz Raja,” the source added.
Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date | Match | Teams | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Feb 4 | 9th Match, Warm-up | Ireland vs Pakistan | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club | 11:30 AM |
| Sat, Feb 7 | 1st Match, Group A | Pakistan vs Netherlands | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club | 11:00 AM |
| Tue, Feb 10 | 12th Match, Group A | Pakistan vs USA | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club | 7:00 PM |
| Sun, Feb 15 | 27th Match, Group A | India vs Pakistan | Colombo, R. Premadasa Stadium | 7:00 PM |
| Wed, Feb 18 | 35th Match, Group A | Pakistan vs Namibia | Colombo, Sinhalese Sports Club | 3:00 PM |
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