Sanjay Manjrekar, a former Indian cricketer, commented that if the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan doesn’t happen, it wouldn’t be a major setback. He feels the games rarely meet the expectations.
He mentioned that India’s wins against Pakistan now feel like wins beating weaker teams, given the present standings of both squads.
Manjrekar’s remarks follow the news of the Pakistan government’s boycott of the T20 World Cup game against India. On Sunday, the Pakistan government stated on X that the Pakistan team shall not take the field against India without a stated reason. The match was planned for February 15. Pakistan is in Group A with India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA.
Manjrekar posted on Instagram that the two teams are not in the same league anymore. He thinks matches between India and teams like Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa are more exciting. Winning against these teams feels rewarding, and the absence of an India-Pakistan match is not going to lessen the value of the tournament for him.
He explained that the India-Pakistan match, if it does not occur, is not a big deal because, for a long time, the actual game has not matched the anticipation. He believes India and Pakistan are not equally strong anymore. He recalled that the matches were exciting in the 90s and earlier because Pakistan was a stronger team. Now, according to Manjrekar, India’s victories against Pakistan feel like defeating weaker opponents. He observed that Pakistan cricket has declined, noting the difference in the quality of young players coming through the Indian and Pakistani systems.
Manjrekar concluded that missing an India-Pakistan match in this major event isn’t crucial. He stated that matches against Australia, England, New Zealand, and South Africa are the ones to watch. India needs to win against these teams to inspire a sense of in the fans. He sees the absence of an India-Pakistan match as a non-event that won’t reduce the value of the tournament.
According to ESPNCricinfo, there’s discussion about the sanctions the PCB might face after the boycott. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has not decided if a board meeting is needed to address the matter.
Any discussion of sanctions involves consulting with the 12 full member boards and three representatives of associate members, along with the ICC Chairman.
So far, the ICC has not indicated an emergency board meeting with the PCB. This suggests it’s unlikely to respond officially in writing to the ICC about the boycott or the government’s decision.
After the third T20I against Australia, Pakistan’s captain, Salman Agha, told ESPNCricinfo, We are definitely going to the World Cup. It’s not our decision. We cannot do anything. We have to do what our government and PCB chairman (Mohsin Naqvi) say. We will follow their instructions.
This situation arose shortly after Scotland replaced Bangladesh in the tournament. Bangladesh refused to play their matches in India after the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman. This decision related to reports of mistreatment of minorities in Bangladesh.
Following Pakistan’s decision to boycott its T20 World Cup group stage match against India, the ICC stated that selective participation is unfair to the premise of a global sporting event. It expects the PCB to find a mutually agreeable resolution that protects everyone’s interests.
In a release, the ICC mentioned that it has noted the Pakistan government’s decision to instruct its team to selectively participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
The release stated that while the ICC is waiting for official word from the PCB, the position of selective participation does not align with the core idea of a global sporting event, where all qualified teams should compete equally as scheduled.