As India-Pakistan boycott controversy deepens, Shahid Afridi takes a dig at the ICC: India-Pakistan has been the best encounter in major ICC events. Over the years, it has garnered massive viewership and generated revenue.

With clouds gathering over the 2026 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan, former players and experts are sharing their insights into the ongoing controversy in the cricketing world. The Pakistan government has given the green light to host the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

However, the national government and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have also mentioned that they will not play against India in the group matches scheduled to be played on February 15 at the R Premedasa International Stadium in Colombo. They plan to opt out of the competition. However, the PCB is yet to issue an official statement to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

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Shahid Afridi supports Pakistan government

Former players and pundits shared their thoughts on the ongoing divide, with former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi tweeting via

Shahid Afridi said via

Shahid Afridi’s credibility questioned

Earlier, Shahid Afridi criticized India for opting out of the World Legends Championship match against Pakistan Legends in July. At the time he said politics and cricket should not mix. However, the former Pakistan all-rounder supported the government’s political interference in one of cricket’s most prestigious events.

Shahid Afridi had said back in July, “Sports brings people closer, but if politics gets involved in everything, how will we move forward?… Sometimes, one bad egg spoils everything for others,” while taking a swipe at former India batsman Shikhar Dhawan. If Pakistan don’t play, they are likely to be in trouble.

International Cricket Federation to ban Pakistan from world cricket?

As the International Cricket Council has already mentioned in its statement, “The International Cricket Council expects the PCB to consider the significant and long-term impact on cricket in the country as this may affect the global cricket ecosystem of which it is itself a member and beneficiary.” They will not allow any form of “selective gaming”.

Pakistan may face points loss in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, negative impact on the ICC rankings, refusal of top member countries to travel to Pakistan, and finally sanctions on players participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). If they stick to their claims, the worst-case scenario is to be banned from world cricket and excluded from the T20 World Cup, just like Bangladesh.

The ICC will convene an emergency meeting within 48 hours to discuss the future of the matter, but a final decision is still to be made. The ICC has removed Bangladesh from the squad after they refused to play against India citing security reasons. Pakistan may follow the same path.

Also read: Danish Kaneria backstabs Pakistan, calls India’s boycott of match ‘suicidal’