India Great Gives Brutal Take On T20 World Cup 2026 'Boycott' Row: "Empty Vessels"
T20 World Cup Pakistan India Controversy: The Pakistan government on Sunday gave the team the green light to participate in the tournament, which starts February 7, but also announced that they will not play the group match against their arch-rivals.
Former BCCI selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has fired shots at Pakistan following their decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India on February 15. The Pakistan government on Sunday gave the team the green light to participate in the tournament, which starts February 7, but also announced that they will not play the group match against their arch-rivals. However, they have not officially communicated the reason behind their decision to pull out of the clash to the ICC. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former India captain claimed it wouldn't make much of a difference even if Pakistan did decide to play.
The 1983 World Cup winner also labeled Pakistan as "empty vessels that make more noise."
"Empty vessels make more noise. Pakistan are scared. Now, in the U19 World Cup also they lost. So they are thinking of giving a walkover. Whether they play or not, the game is anyway a walkover for India. It does not matter if they come or not. In the Asia Cup, they played all the games against India," said Srikkanth.
Pakistan are in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the United States of America (USA). All of Pakistan's matches are scheduled for Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India.
The Salman Ali Agha-led side whitewashed Australia in a three-match T20I series at home last week, though the visitors were missing several first-team players. The team reached Sri Lanka on Monday ahead of their warm-up match against Ireland on Wednesday.
Pakistan are scheduled to open their campaign against the Netherlands on February 7, followed by matches against the USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18. Their stunning decision to skip the February 15 match is being seen as an act of support for Bangladesh, who were removed from the tournament after refusing to play in India citing security concerns.
(With PTI Inputs)
Pakistan Cricket Team
India Cricket Team