The Pakistani government cleared its national team on Sunday to compete in the Twenty20 World Cup starting from February 7, but stopped them from playing arch-rivals and tournament co-hosts India.
“The government of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the Twenty20 World Cup, however, the Pakistan team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February against India,” a Pakistan government release said.
The Pakistan team are now likely fly to Colombo on Monday afternoon after a week of uncertainty in the wake of Bangladesh’s expulsion from the tournament.
Pakistan cricket chief Mohsin Naqvi had not said whether the national team would refuse to play in the Sri Lankan capital against India — the highest revenue-generating game — but the Shahbaz Sharif-led coalition government confirmed its decision on Sunday.
The World Cup runs from February 7 to March 8, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and featuring 20 teams.
Naqvi hinted last week at an outright boycott of the event in protest over the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to reject Bangladesh’s demands to relocate their matches from India to Sri Lanka over security fears.
Bangladesh’s demands were voted down by ICC Board members after a weeks-long standoff, with Pakistan the only country siding with them.
The ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland last Saturday, drawing a fierce reaction from Naqvi, who criticised the governing body for double standards.
Pakistan’s refusal to play against India — who they have already played at neutral venues in Sri Lanka — will have severe financial implications.
Pakistan and India have not played in any bilateral cricket since 2012 and only face each other in multi-nation events.
Under a deal signed last year, India and Pakistan agreed not to travel to each other’s countries in cases where either hosts an ICC event, instead playing at neutral venues.
Pakistan open their campaign against the Netherlands in Colombo on February 7 in Group A, which also includes arch-rivals India, the United States and Namibia.