‘WE STAND WITH BANGLADESH’: PAKISTAN PM ON INDIA BOYCOTT AT T20 WORLD CUP

“We have taken this stand after careful deliberation and [decided that] on this matter, we must stand with Bangladesh and support them,” Sharif told his cabinet on Wednesday.

On Sunday, the Pakistani government announced that its men’s cricket team will not take the field in the match against archrivals India on February 15, without stating the reason behind the decision at the time.

However, it was largely believed to be a mark of protest against Bangladesh’s ouster from the tournament for refusing to travel to India for their T20 World Cup fixtures.

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Sharif’s statement, made in a televised address, rubber-stamped the motive and confirmed the boycott.

“We have taken a very clear stand that we will not play the match against India,” Sharif told the government officials. “Pakistan believes that this is sport, not politics, and there should be no politics in sport.”

While Sharif did not elaborate on his statement, it points towards the ongoing cricket crisis surrounding the tournament, which began after a Bangladeshi player was expelled from the Indian Premier League on the directives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) last month.

Mustafizur Rahman’s removal was linked to political tensions between Bangladesh and India, as confirmed by BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, and led to a chain of events, including the boycott by Pakistan.

India and Pakistan are placed in the same group and were scheduled to meet in a marquee clash in Sri Lanka, which is cohosting the tournament along with India.

Following Pakistan’s announcement, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement that “selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions”.

“While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan,” it said, adding that it awaited official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of.”

While the boycott by Pakistan could see them forfeit two points, it remains unclear if the PCB will be hit by further sanctions or bans.

The T20 World Cup begins on Saturday.