The build-up to the much-anticipated 2026 T20 World Cup has been chaotic, to say the least, largely due to unfortunate off-field situations and tensions. Earlier, Bangladesh protested against traveling to India to play the tournament, leading the International Cricket Council (ICC) to replace them with Scotland.

Shortly after, Pakistan also announced that it would boycott the group stage match Indiascheduled to be held in Colombo on February 15. While abandoning a match is uncommon in cricket, especially in high-stakes tournament events, it does happen from time to time over time.

“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has approved the participation of the Pakistan Cricket Team in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team will not be allowed to participate in the match against India scheduled for February 15, 2026,” a PCB statement read. ESPN Cricinfo).

At this point, let’s look at three examples of teams boycotting games ICC World Cup history.

#1 Australia (1996 ODI World Cup; Sri Lanka)

During the 1996 ODI World Cup co-hosted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Australia, led by Mark Taylor, was scheduled to face the likes of Arjuna Ranatunga on February 17 at the R Premadasa Stadium.

However, Cricket Australia (California) Refusing to send a team to the island nation due to security concerns. Just weeks ago, a devastating bombing occurred at the capital’s central bank, killing 91 people. Cricket West Indies (CWI) also followed suit and refused to send a team to Sri Lanka for the scheduled match in Colombo on February 26.

Sri Lanka earned full points after Australia and West Indies boycotted the match and topped the group with 10 points with an unbeaten record. Despite losing a group match, both Australia and West Indies qualified, with the latter having just beaten Zimbabwe for the fourth and final berth.

Australia and Sri Lanka finally met in the final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore and the subcontinental side wrote history by winning the World Cup for the first time.

#2 England (2003 ODI World Cup; Zimbabwe)

During the 2003 ODI World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, the England team led by Nasser Hussain was originally scheduled to compete at Harare Sports Club on February 17. However, political turmoil under Mugabe’s controversial regime, as well as his controversial comments about British politicians, mean the British government is not keen on sending players to the country.

result, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly been asked to move the match to South Africa. However, the governing body rejected the request, resulting in England insisting on not participating, while Zimbabwe were awarded the points.

The decision had some major repercussions, with Zimbabwe advancing from Group A with 14 points, while England were eliminated in fourth place with 12 points. In addition to boycotting Zimbabwe, Nasser Hussein and others also boycotted Zimbabwe. They lost to India by a large margin and lost to their archrival Australia by a narrow margin.

#3 New Zealand (2003 ODI World Cup; Kenya)

Stephen Fleming’s New Zealand team was scheduled to play Kenya in a Group B match in Nairobi on 21 February 2003. The Black Caps got off to a good start in the competition, with two wins and one loss midway through the group stage, but need to pick up points against lowly Kenya to break into the top three.

However, New Zealand decided not to travel after a thorough review of safety concerns. Like England, they also made a request to the ICC to move the match to South Africa. But in the end, they had to abandon the game due to safety issues, resulting in Kenya being awarded two points.

The result had a huge impact on this World Cup, with Kenya finishing second in Group B with 16 points by two points, while West Indies and South Africa were eliminated with 14 points each.