‘This is total drama’: Former cricketer slams Pakistan for boycotting India at ICC World Cup 2026

A former international cricketer criticises Pakistan for boycotting India in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2026, calling the move unnecessary drama.

Pakistan (Image | ICC)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have made a formal announcement on their Twitter account that Pakistan will boycott the Men's T20 World Cup 2026 encounter against India, to be played on February 15. After weeks of speculation regarding this decision, Pakistan boycotts India in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2026 and haven't given an official confirmation to the International Cricket Council (ICC) yet.

The India vs Pakistan World Cup matches give a lot of traction, viewership, and financial gains to the ICC and the broadcasters. Hence, it's quite natural that the Apex Body is not going to bear such a huge loss on account of Pakistan's irrational decision. ICC did release a formal statement yesterday informing the Men in Green to communicate with them.

Talking about the whole fiasco, India's former cricketer Harbhajan Singh has called the entire boycott episode as a 'drama' and that, Pakistan are doing this as an act of 'arrogance'. The former cricketer slams has been a part of the Indian team on several occasions where they have defeated Pakistan in the ICC events, as well as the bilateral series.

"What benefit are you going to get from this? This is just to show arrogance. If you really think that you can do something like this, then be adamant. Let's see if you really have the guts," said Harbhajan Singh on his YouTube channel.

Also read: ICC issues ultimatum to Pakistan over India match in T20 World Cup 2026

"This is a total drama created to mislead people into thinking that they are standing with Bangladesh. There's no problem with that, but what have you thought about the people of your country who want the India-Pakistan match to happen?," former cricketer slams Pakistan.

Why Pakistan boycotted India in World Cup 2026?

After the ICC World Cup controversy happened around Bangladesh being removed from the tournament, PCB extended their support towards their neighbours. Hence, this boycott is to showcase the world that they are taking a stand for Bangladesh who were pushed out of the tournament unfairly.

For the unversed, Bangladesh were demanding the change of location at a short notice. ICC clearly turned down their demands, and asked for a confirmation within a day's time. Bangladesh failed to response and as a result, they were replaced by Scotland in the ICC event. Now, PCB has used this opportunity to go against ICC and boycott the game against India.

Where to watch ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches?

Cricket fans in India can watch the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 matches from February 7 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.

Also read: Ishan Kishan or Sanju Samson: Who should open for India?

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