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Former cricketer Atul Wassan called Pakistan's U-turn on their boycott of the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India a "drama," criticising their changing stances. He also noted that such "shenanigans" are demoralising Pakistan's own players.
Speaking to ANI, Atul Wassan criticised Pakistan's inconsistent stance on playing India in the T20 World Cup, and said that "sometimes they refuse, get upset, and sometimes they agree" for their own satisfaction. "It's a drama going on. Sometimes they (Pakistan) refuse, get upset, and sometimes they agree, all for their own satisfaction. Now the Bangladesh Board has requested, and Sri Lanka has, so they're agreeing. 'We've shown the ICC how much hegemony India has'- all these misconceptions are in their minds. There's no cure for this. I don't understand how they were harming India by not playing against India. If you are upset with the ICC, then don't play the World Cup, but they didn't do that. Instead, they made the India match an issue," Atul Wassan said. Atul Wassan said Pakistan's actions don't affect India, as India are a far stronger side, and their "shenanigans" only demoralise their own team. "From India's perspective, it wouldn't have mattered to India because they (Pakistan) don't have such a strong team anyway. They know that we are far ahead of their team. And by these shenanigans, they are demoralising their own team," the former Indian cricketer added. Atul Wassan's comments come after the Government of Pakistan, on Monday, directed their national cricket team to take the field on February 15, for their scheduled fixture against the defending champions, India, in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The decision came after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, according to a statement by the Pakistan Government, briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the outcomes of high-level talks between the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Notably, Pakistan had previously decided to boycott their group-stage World Cup match against arch-rivals India in support of Bangladesh, who were expelled from the tournament after the ICC rejected their request to shift match venues outside India over "security concerns". Pakistan's Prime Minister also spoke with Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to discuss the country's support during "challenging times." Following discussions with the ICC and other countries, Pakistan's government has directed its cricket team to play the T20 World Cup match against India. After ICC held a meeting with the PCB and the BCB at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday to discuss Pakistan's decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match with India in Colombo, BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul on Monday also urged Pakistan to play their February 15 ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash against India. Earlier, the official X handle of the Pakistan Government announced that the Men in Green would not take the field in the Feb 15 clash, and later Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif linked this boycott to the controversy with Bangladesh, citing it as a symbol of solidarity. Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup, after their request to have all their matches played outside India could not be agreed upon by the ICC, which they put in place after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the squad following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) amid concerns related to atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh. (ANI)
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