Pakistan Captain Salman Agha States Government Approval Needed for Match Against India in T20 World Cup Knockouts

Pakistan captain Salman Agha clarified on Thursday that the team will only play against arch-rival India in the knockout stages of the T20 World Cup after consulting with their government.

This tournament was affected by political disputes as Bangladesh refused to play in India citing security concerns, and Pakistan declined a meeting with co-host India in their Group 'A' matches. However, the possibility of a clash between both neighbors in the semi-finals or final still remains.

"India's match is not in our control. It is a government decision, and if we have to play against India in the semi-finals or final, we will proceed according to the government's advice," Agha told reporters in Colombo.

Pakistan supported Bangladesh's request to move the match to Sri Lanka. The Islamabad government has directed the national team not to play the group match against India on February 15. Agha said, "It is sad that Bangladesh is not here. We hope they will support us."

Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for over a decade and only meet in multi-nation tournaments. In the group stage, Pakistan will compete against Namibia, Netherlands, and the United States. Agha said, "We were disappointed by the loss against the United States in the last World Cup; now we will try to correct that."

If Pakistan forfeits the match against India, they will not only lose two points but could also affect their net run rate. Losing a group match due to bad weather can make qualification difficult, but Agha said, "We know the margin for error, but we cannot control the circumstances. We are here to play good cricket and will not be affected by the situation."

Pakistan won the title in 2009 by defeating Australia 3-0 on home soil. Agha said, "We have not lost any series since the Asia Cup last year. Everything is going well, and we are confident we will do even better."

All of Pakistan's matches will be played in Sri Lanka, where the team visited in January and has experience of the conditions. Agha said, "I am very happy to play in Sri Lanka—it is like a second home for me. This is my sixth visit, and we have received a lot of support."

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