India-Pakistan: Hope builds that February 15 fixture will go ahead
Discussions are ongoing between the ICC, PCB and also the BCB as the governing body tries to find a way for the fixture to proceed in Colombo
ESPNcricinfo staff
Feb 9, 2026, 12:38 PM • 1 hr ago
Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Agha could yet meet at the toss on February 15 • AFP/Getty Images
There is cautious but growing optimism that discussions between the ICC and PCB might bear fruit, and that the India-Pakistan group game at the 2026 T20 World Cup may yet go ahead in Colombo on February 15.
The ICC has been engaged in negotiations with the PCB ever since chairman Mohsin Naqvi cast doubt on Pakistan's participation in the T20 World Cup a fortnight ago. The government of Pakistan subsequently announced that Pakistan would play in the tournament but would not take the field in the group game against India.
On Sunday, the ICC's deputy chair Imran Khawaja was in Lahore for a meeting with PCB officials and, significantly, with BCB president Aminul Islam as well. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had said the decision to boycott the India game was taken in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were excluded from the tournament after they refused to play their matches in India due to security reasons and asked for their games to be relocated to co-hosts Sri Lanka.
The PCB was the only member other than the BCB to vote against Bangladesh's removal at an ICC board meeting. Naqvi accused the ICC of "double standards" over that decision and said that Bangladesh had suffered an "injustice". The treatment of Bangladesh over that matter has been prominent in the discussions with ICC, and the PCB is believed to have linked any resolution to the boycott threat to some form of redress for Bangladesh.
That includes no sanctions or bans being imposed on the BCB in the aftermath of their withdrawal from this tournament, and for the revenues that would have been due to them if they had played to remain intact. An assurance has also been sought that Bangladesh's status as co-hosts - along with India - of the 2031 men's ODI World Cup will not be affected.
ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB has also asked for discussions on a more equitable ICC revenue share model to be placed on the table. The current distribution model came into effect in 2024 and runs until 2027.
It is convergence over these issues which has led to the optimism that the India-Pakistan game could go ahead. But nothing has been finalised yet and discussions are expected to continue. Both sides have won their first group games. Pakistan's second group match is against the USA on Tuesday, while India play Namibia on Thursday.
There have been reports of other conditions, including a restoration of bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan and a resumption of handshakes between players, but those have been strenuously denied by the PCB.