Legendary India cricketer Kapil Dev warned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over their boycott of the T20 World Cup clash against India that was scheduled to take place on February 15. He feels that this move will only end up hurting Pakistan and it also do harm to their reputation in the world of cricket.
Kapil also said that this move will especially affect the younger generation of cricketers in Pakistan as they would see how the PCB is being "unfair" to its own players.
“If the decision was taken by the players, they can come out and say so. But when the board decides that you will not play, the reputation of the country comes down. It is not looking bright for Pakistan. You are killing the generation. Pakistan have given us fantastic talents over the years, but if you don’t allow these boys to play the World Cup, you are hurting the game and being unfair to your own players," Kapil told NDTV.
PCB's stance on the matter
The PCB had announced on Sunday that while the team will participate in the T20 World Cup, they will not be taking the field for their clash against India that was scheduled to be played at the R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo. This decision came after Bangladesh had exited from the tournament after ICC did not grant them the permission to shift their matches out of India. This led to Scotland replacing them from the 20-team competition.
"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 15th February 2026 against India," a post of the Pakistan government’s X account read.
ICC's warning to PCB
However, the move hasn't gone down well with the ICC and they have already warned the PCB about the consequences that the boycott could have on Pakistan cricket. They want them to reconsider their stance over the matter.
“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country, as this decision is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem. While the ICC respects the role of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan," ICC said in a statement.
Meanwhile, both India and Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup campiagns on February 7 itself with clashes against USA and Netherlands respectively. All of these four teams are placed in Group A of the tournament alongside Namibia.