"Pakistan knows it can't win": Kirti Azad on Pakistan boycotting T20 WC match against India

Kirti Azad said Pakistan is boycotting the T20 World Cup match against India because they "can't win" the match. He also said that India should have withdrawn from the World Cup to send an international message against terrorism afterthe Pahalgam terrorist attack in 2025.

"Pakistan knows it can't win. So it thought to save face... India had a great opportunity when 26 people were killed in Baisaran (valley in Pahalgam). India shouldn't have played in the World Cup then... This would have sent a message internationally that we are against terrorists and that Pakistan is the biggest terrorist state," Kirit Azad said.

BJP MP Shashank Mani said, "When a player realises that they cannot win, they run away from the field. They are 'rannchhodd', they have run away from the field. If you are participating in a championship, you should play without any discrimination. We defeated them in Operation Sindoor and other wars. We would have defeated them here too. So, they are not even playing."

The MPs comments come after Pakistan decided to boycott its group-stage match against India in the ICC World T20 World Cup, scheduled for February 15. The Pakistan government said in a post on X that the Pakistan team "shall not take the field" in the match against India.

In an X post on Sunday, the Government of Pakistan stated, "The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026; however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India."

The Pakistan government did not give any reason for its decision not to play against India.The Indian team is in terrific form ahead of the World Cup and won the five-match T20I series against New Zealand 4-1.

Hours after Pakistan decided to boycott its T20 World Cup group stage clash against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said that "selective participation" is not fair with the "fundamental premise of a global sporting event" and that it expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders.

ICC said in a release that it has noted the statement that the Government of Pakistan has made regarding the decision to instruct its national team to selectively participate in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026."While the ICC awaits official communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), this position of selective participation is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event where all qualified teams are expected to compete on equal terms per the event schedule," the release said.

It said that ICC tournaments are built on sporting integrity, competitiveness, consistency and fairness, and selective participation undermines the spirit and sanctity of the competitions.

"While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan. The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of," the release said.

"It expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders," the release said further.

Pakistan have a terrible record against India in the ICC T20 World Cups. The two teams have played eight times, with the record standing at 7-1 in India's favour. The ICC T20 World Cup will begin on February 7.

The PCB chairman and the country's interior minister, Mohsin Naqv, met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month to brief him on the International Cricket Council's decision after Bangladesh refused to send their team to India over purported "security concerns".

The ICC had last month announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.

The announcement came after the ICC, in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India, rejected the BCB's demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, in the 20-team tournament to be played from February 7 to March 8.

The decision followed an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB about hosting its scheduled matches in India. Over more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted transparently and constructively, including meetings held both via video conference and in person.

As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.

The ICC's assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India. In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule. The ICC also noted the importance of preserving the integrity and sanctity of the tournament schedule, safeguarding the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoiding the establishment of precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events.

Following its meeting, the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board requested the BCB to confirm, within a 24-hour timeframe, whether Bangladesh would participate in the tournament as scheduled. As no confirmation was received within the stipulated deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.

Scotland are the highest-ranked T20I side not to originally qualify for the tournament. They are currently ranked 14th, ahead of seven teams already in the tournament, Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States of America (USA), Canada, Oman and Italy.

The defending champions, Team India, are slotted in Group A alongside Namibia, the Netherlands, the USA, and arch-rivals Pakistan. The Men in Blue will play their opening fixture against the USA on February 7, followed by their match against on February 12. (ANI)