"Match Should Happen": Ex-Pakistan Skipper's Stunning Take On T20 World Cup Drama

Former Pakistan cricket team skipper Rashid Latif believes that the India-Pakistan match at the T20 World Cup 2026 should happen despite the tough stance taken by the Pakistan government. Pakistan announced on Sunday that they will participate in the World Cup but will boycott the group stage match against India on February 15. The International Cricket Council (ICC) revealed that it has not received any official confirmation from PCB, but the announcement led to a massive controversy. In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Latif said that the match not taking place will be bad for cricket but added that there is a lot of politics involved and a resolution will need talks between PCB and the ICC.

"We want to play cricket. There is a lot of politics involved and there will be back-channel talks between the PCB and ICC. The match should happen. There is a huge fan following in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If the India-Pakistan match does not take place, it will be bad for cricket," he said.

Meanwhile, the ICC has asked deputy chairman Imran Khwaja to hold back-channel talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over its T20 World Cup 2026 stance, according to a report by Revsportz.

Khwaja, who represents the Singapore Cricket Association, has been given the responsibility of convincing Pakistan to play their group stage match against India on February 15. Pakistan announced on Sunday that they will take part in the T20 World Cup but will boycott their match against India.

However, the ICC has not received any official communication from the PCB regarding the matter and Khawaja will reportedly try to 'play the peacemaker' amid the ongoing standoff.

Topics mentioned in this article

Rashid Latif Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team International Cricket Council Pakistan Cricket Board BCCI T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket