ICC ‘looked away’ earlier, can’t punish Pakistan for following government orders — Ehsan Mani

Former International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Ehsan Mani has said Pakistan cannot be sanctioned for following government instructions, amid uncertainty over whether the team will play India at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

In an exclusive chat with Sportstar, Mani, who has also served as chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said similar reasoning had previously been applied when India declined to play Pakistan in ICC events. “You can’t have double standards. Instead of dealing with the problem, the ICC just stood there as a bystander,” Mani said.

“You left the door open for any country to get its government involved. And especially knowing that the chairman of the PCB is a serving minister of the government.”

The comments come after a post from the Government of Pakistan’s official X account stated that the national team had been permitted to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament but would not take the field for its Group A fixture against India, scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. Pakistan is grouped with India, Namibia, Netherlands and the USA, and is set to play all its matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India. A boycott of the India match would result in Pakistan forfeiting two points.

Questions around Pakistan’s participation had emerged earlier after PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi raised concerns following Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament in January after it declined to play in India citing security reasons. Pakistan is scheduled to open its campaign against the Netherlands on February 7, followed by matches against the USA and Namibia.

The International Cricket Council said it was yet to receive official communication from the PCB, but described selective participation as inconsistent with the principles of a global sporting event. While acknowledging the role of governments in national policy, the ICC warned that such decisions could have long-term implications for the sport.

Similar situations have arisen in past ICC events. At the 1996 World Cup, Australia and West Indies forfeited points after declining to travel to Colombo for matches against Sri Lanka due to safety concerns. During the 2003 ODI World Cup, England did not play Zimbabwe in Harare due to the UK government’s stance on the Robert Mugabe regime, while New Zealand refused to travel to Nairobi to face Kenya citing security concerns.

The ICC added that it expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, with the governing body’s priority remaining the successful conduct of the tournament.

Published on Feb 02, 2026