Sri Lanka’s cricket board has urged Pakistan to reconsider its decision to boycott a first-round match against India at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, warning that a no-show could have significant financial and tourism consequences for the host nation.
The appeal came after Pakistan announced it would not play India on February 15 in Colombo, citing solidarity with Bangladesh, which was excluded from the tournament after declining to play matches in India. The tournament is being co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India.
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Financial and tournament implications
In a statement, Sri Lanka Cricket said it had formally raised concerns with the Pakistan Cricket Board, noting that any boycott would lead to financial losses and undermine Sri Lanka’s efforts to revive tourism following its 2022 economic crisis.
“Any non-participation will have wide-ranging implications, including substantial financial exposure for SLC and the potential loss of anticipated tourism inflows,” the board said.
SLC also recalled Sri Lanka’s past tours of Pakistan during periods when other teams avoided the country over security concerns, describing those visits as a gesture of support aimed at restoring international cricket there.
Regional context and next steps
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket in more than a decade and meet only in multinational tournaments. Despite the planned boycott of the February 15 group match in Colombo, the two teams could still be drawn together in the knockout stages.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha said earlier that any potential meeting with India in a semi-final or final would be discussed with the government.
India begin their tournament campaign at home against the United States on Saturday, while Pakistan are scheduled to play their opening match the same day in Colombo against the Netherlands.
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