New Delhi: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, during the captain’s meet in Colombo ahead of the T20 World Cup, said that not playing against India is completely the decision of the Pakistan government.“The India game is not in our control. It’s the government’s decision, and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we will do that,” Agha told reporters in Colombo on Thursday. “And then, we have three other games, and we are very excited about that.”
The 32-year-old mentioned that what happened with Bangladesh was the reason behind Pakistan’s decision not to play against India.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!“They are our brothers. I would say they can support us in the tournament. It’s really sad to see them not playing in the World Cup. Hopefully, they will continue to support us throughout the tournament as well,” he said.On Sunday, the Pakistani government announced that its men’s cricket team will not take the field in the match against arch-rivals India on February 15, without stating the reason behind the decision.“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026; however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on February 15 against India,” the Pakistan government said in a post on X.Agha also deflected a question when he was coaxed about what Pakistan would do if they faced India in the semi-finals.“India’s game is not in our control. It was the government’s decision, and again, if we have to play them in the semi-final or the final, we have to go back to them and act on their advice,” he said.On fans not getting to see an India vs Pakistan match, Salman said, “There are three other games they can come and watch,” he said with a laugh.Shehbaz Sharif, the Pakistani Prime Minister, has also weighed in on the decision and termed the government’s move “appropriate” to boycott the February 15 fixture against India.“We have taken a very clear stand on the T20 World Cup that we won’t play the match against India because there should be no politics on the sports field,” Sharif told members of his cabinet on Wednesday.Sharif further stressed that Pakistan should stand with Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced them with Scotland, following Bangladesh’s demand to shift their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.“We have taken a very considered stance, and we should completely stand by Bangladesh, and I think this is a very appropriate decision.”Alongside India, Pakistan have been placed with Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA in Group A. In 2024, Pakistan lost to India and were then knocked out after losing to the USA in a Super Over.However, they will go into the tournament having defeated Australia by 111 runs on Sunday to complete a 3-0 T20I series sweep.“Yes, we lost to the USA in the last World Cup, but that’s history now. It’s a new World Cup, a new team and a new combination, and we are very excited about that,” said Agha.
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This will be the first time Agha will be leading his country in a World Cup, and the captain sounded excited.“It’s my first World Cup as a captain, and I’m very excited about that. I don’t know how to describe myself as a captain,” he said.“It’s like people describe it, but as a captain, I just want to lead from the front, try to do as much as I can for my players, take the best out of them, and give them an environment where they can play their best,” he added.Pakistan will start their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7.
