Sri Lanka Cricket Urges Pakistan to Reconsider Boycott of India Match in T20 World Cup

Colombo.  Sri Lanka Cricket on Thursday made a special appeal to Pakistan to reconsider its decision to boycott the first-round match against India.  

Pakistan's decision not to play the clash scheduled for February 15 in Colombo during the T20 World Cup has created a new stir in the cricket world. Pakistan announced it would not play against India in protest of Bangladesh being excluded from the tournament and to show solidarity with Bangladesh.  

Bangladesh was removed from the tournament after refusing to play its matches in India. These two long-standing rivals, who have not played a bilateral series for a long time, only face each other in World Cups or regional tournaments.  

In a letter sent to the Pakistan Cricket Board, Sri Lanka Cricket warned that boycotting the match would severely impact Sri Lanka's economy and tourism sector. This match was a major opportunity for tourism promotion for Sri Lanka, which is just recovering from the 2022 economic crisis. Sri Lanka stated that the board would suffer significant financial losses and a drop in tourist arrivals if Pakistan did not participate.  

Sri Lanka reminded Pakistan that in the past, when other countries were reluctant to tour Pakistan due to security concerns, Sri Lanka toured there to help revive cricket, and urged Pakistan to stand by them in the current difficult situation. The board specially requested Pakistan to play the match against India, keeping in mind the old relationship between the two countries and the overall interest of cricket.  

Under the tournament schedule, India starts its campaign at home against the USA on Saturday, while Pakistan is scheduled to play its first match against the Netherlands in Colombo on the same Saturday. Although maintaining its stance to boycott group stage matches, Pakistan has not yet made a concrete decision on what to do if they meet India in the knockout stage.  

Pakistani captain Salman Agha stated that if they have to play against India in the semi-finals or finals, he will only make a decision after consulting with the government.