Bangladesh has welcomed Pakistan’s decision to boycott its T20 World Cup match against India, viewing the move as a gesture of solidarity after Dhaka was excluded from the tournament, a senior official has said.
“Thank you, Pakistan,” Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said in a statement on Facebook on Thursday after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed his country’s decision.
“Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that his country has decided to boycott its match against India in protest against Bangladesh being excluded from the T20 World Cup,” Nazrul wrote.
Sharif said on Wednesday that Islamabad took the decision in response to Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament, stressing that politics should not interfere with sport.
Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland after refusing to play its matches in India, which is co-hosting the tournament with Sri Lanka.
Speaking to his cabinet, Sharif said Pakistan would not play India because the decision to exclude Bangladesh was unfair. “We have taken a very considered stance, and we should completely stand by Bangladesh,” he said, calling the move an appropriate response.
Dhaka had declined to send its team to India, citing security concerns, but the International Cricket Council (ICC) said it was not feasible to relocate Bangladesh’s fixtures when the tournament is about to start, leading to its removal last month.
Pakistan’s government initially allowed its national team to participate in the tournament while boycotting the group-stage match against India, scheduled for February 15 in Sri Lanka.
The ICC has warned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of “significant and long-term implications” of a boycott, saying it could disrupt the global cricket ecosystem.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has criticised the ICC’s handling of the situation, accusing it of double standards over Bangladesh’s exclusion.
The controversy has intensified diplomatic and sporting tensions in South Asian cricket, raising questions about governance, security concerns, and the role of politics in international sport.
The whole controversy had started after the powerful cricketing body forced a local franchise to drop Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman.
