Pakistan squad reaches Sri Lanka for T20 World Cup 2026

COLOMBO: The Pakistan men's cricket team landed here on Monday to partake in the highly anticipated ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka and India from February 7 to March 8.

The 15-member squad is led by captain Salman Ali Agha and further includes star players Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Muhammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan and Usman Tariq.

Upon arrival in Sri Lanka, the team will rest today and tomorrow before their warm-up fixture against Ireland on 4 February at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground here.

The venue will also host Pakistan's group-stage matches against the Netherlands on February 7, the United States of America (USA) on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.

Under the International Cricket Council's (ICC) 'Fusion Formula', Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka. This arrangement has been made to prevent Pakistan and India from touring each other during global events, with both teams instead competing at neutral venues.

Should Pakistan progress to the semi-finals and final, the knockout matches will be held in Colombo; otherwise, the semi-finals and final will take place in Kolkata and Ahmedabad, respectively.

On Sunday, the Government of Pakistan confirmed that the national men's team would participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 but will not play their group-stage match against arch-rivals India, scheduled for February 15.

The decision is seen as a move to apply financial pressure on the ICC, which was criticised by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi last week for alleged "double standards" and operating under the influence of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The announcement followed a crucial meeting between Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Naqvi.

The PCB chief had previously met the prime minister last month to discuss Pakistan's participation in the mega-event, stating that a final decision would be announced between January 30 and February 2.

Pakistan had reconsidered their participation in the 20-team tournament after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland following the former's refusal to tour India.