Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal has welcomed Pakistan's decision to reverse their earlier boycott and play India in their highly anticipated T20I World Cup group stage match, scheduled to be played on February 15 in Colombo. Madan Lal said if Pakistan had not ended their boycott, then the 'charm' of the World Cup would have diminished without this rollicking battle. The former Indian cricketer also pointed out that Pakistan heading into the match against India could face significant pressure due to their recent struggles against men in blue.
“It is good that they are playing, else the charm of the tournament would have died, and they would have also suffered financial loss. We’ve heard that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had put pressure on them. The India-Pakistan match is always exciting. Both teams are very good. There could be more pressure on the Pakistan team as they haven't won many matches against India lately. The game of cricket should not weaken,” Madan Lal told ANI.
Earlier, in the build-up to the tournament, the Government of Pakistan had announced a boycott of the match against India. The move was widely viewed as a show of solidarity with Bangladesh, whose team was removed from the tournament after refusing to travel to India for matches over security concerns. Following Bangladesh's absence, ICC replaced them with Scotland. Nevertheless, Pakistan agreed to play India following days of deliberations which saw the involvement of several cricket boards.
"In view of the outcomes achieved in multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15, 2026, for its scheduled fixture in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup," the Pakistan government said in a press release.