Published February 10, 2026
Pakistan’s decision to call off its boycott of the match against India in the T20 World Cup has been welcomed by fans, players and coaches in both countries.
A highly anticipated confrontation between the arch-rivals has been thrown into doubt for more than a week after the Pakistani government ordered its team not to take the field for Sunday’s clash in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
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The change in situation late Monday brought relief to millions of fans on both sides of the countries’ shared border, as well as tournament organizers and coaches.
The Indian camp said they would be “delighted” to play against a “quality team”.
“It’s great that play has resumed. It’s like we never changed our preparation,” India assistant coach Ryan ten Doschate said on Tuesday.
India will play their second Group A match against Namibia on Thursday in New Delhi before flying to Colombo the next morning.
It means a quick turnaround for Sunday’s match, the biggest and most lucrative encounter in world cricket.
“Going to Colombo, where Pakistan has been for the last two weeks, will be a challenge,” Ten Doeshuit added.
“We are completely focused on bringing our best performance to this match.”
“Good for cricket”
Pakistan’s decision to continue playing was seen as a sign of “common sense” and “good for cricket”.
In hectic talks over the weekend, the heads of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board flew to Lahore on Sunday for talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
The governments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka wrote to the Islamabad government on Monday urging it to change its position and allow the game to continue.
After “multilateral discussions, as well as at the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take to the field on 15th February,” the Islamabad government said on its official X account late on Monday.
The decision was taken to “protect the spirit of cricket”, it added.
Former India cricketer Madan Lal told AFP that the resumption of matches was “good for cricket”.
“We want strong teams to play so that the charm of the World Cup is not lost,” he added.
Sri Lanka, which will host the match which will generate multi-million dollar revenue from advertising, broadcast rights, sponsorship and tourism, also praised the decision.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in a social media post, thanked Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “ensuring the continuation of the game we all love.”
Veteran Indian journalist Pradeep Magazine said: “Common sense has prevailed on all sides.”
Financial considerations would be taken into account, he added.
“Everyone understood that losing revenue from the India-Pakistan match would be a lose-lose situation for all ICC member countries.”
“There is no greater happiness”
For fans, this is another chance to see how bitter rivals will fight in a global tournament.
Kafeel Ahmed, a cricket fan from Karachi, said the Pakistan-India matches were unique.
“There is a different intensity to it. If Pakistan wins by 12 runs, there is no greater happiness than that,” Ahmed told news agency Reuters. “This happiness is not just a challenge to an opponent; it’s the feeling that comes after defeating an opponent.”
India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series since 2012-13 due to a long-standing political disagreement.
“The benefit is not just that the crowd is happy or the young people playing cricket are happy; it also increases business and public interest,” said cricket fan Rai Fayaz.
Rajeev Shukla, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said on Tuesday that it was good that a solution had been found.
“Kudos to the ICC for taking this initiative, solving the whole problem and bringing cricket back to the forefront. This is a big achievement from the ICC’s point of view,” he said.