The Pakistan government has given the national cricket team permission to play in the upcoming T20 World Cup, but with a condition – they will boycott the scheduled match against India. This decision has put the national team in a difficult position right from the start of the tournament.
According to the ICC rules, the team that boycotts a match loses the match and is awarded zero points. In the T20 World Cup, 20 teams are divided into four groups of five teams each. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 8 stage. Losing two points against India means that the national team will have no margin for error in the remaining group matches.
Former ICC president has reacted to Pakistan’s decision to boycott the India match. Pakistan has been placed in Group A, which also includes Netherlands, USA, and Namibia. The national team will play all group matches in Colombo.
The T20 World Cup will begin on February 7, with Pakistan’s first match against the Netherlands in Colombo at 10 am. The team will play their second match against the USA on February 10 and their third match against Namibia on February 18. The boycott of the India match was announced earlier on February 15.
The weather in Colombo has added to the uncertainty of the event. According to the BBC report, there is a possibility of light rain and thunderstorms on February 7 in Colombo. The temperature is expected to reach 32 degrees Celsius during the day and 22 degrees Celsius at night. There is a higher chance of rain from afternoon to evening, and the weather may be partly cloudy in the morning.
If the match against the Netherlands is washed out due to rain, it may become even more difficult for the national team to qualify for the next stage of the event. Pakistan will have to win all their remaining group matches and improve their net run rate significantly.
In other news, the International Cricket Council (ICC) Under-19 World Cup was won by India, while the Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship was won by Pakistan’s Asim Ramzan. The ICC Under-19 World Cup was won by India, and the Asian Under-21 Snooker Championship was won by Pakistan’s Asim Ramzan.
The Pakistan cricket team has been training at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. The team’s captain, Salman Ali Agha, has said that they are not under pressure to perform in the first few matches. The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed that the team is not under pressure to perform in the first few matches.
Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has said that the decision to boycott the India match was taken in accordance with the government and cricket board’s policy. Several experienced players will be participating in the T20 World Cup, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Bazid Khan, and Ramiz Raja. The team will be commentating on the World Cup.
In other news, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has written a letter to the Pakistan Cricket Board, stating that the boycott of the India match has affected their tourism sector. The letter states that a large number of fans have canceled their hotel bookings due to the boycott.
In a separate incident, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Islamabad has said that one of the victims of the blast was the cousin of the IGP.
