New Delhi: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh slammed Pakistan’s decision to skip its Group A match against India in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, calling it an “unnecessary drama” aimed at misleading fans. He emphasised that cricket should rise above politics and focus on the spirit of the game.
The Pakistan government has ordered the Pakistan Cricket Board to not play India in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup and granted the team conditional approval to take part in the tournament. This decision comes in protest against the ICC’s refusal to move Bangladesh’s World Cup matches out of India, a demand Pakistan strongly backed.
“Begani Shadi mei abdullah deewana… Pakistan government has said that their team will participate in the T20 World Cup but will not play against India. There is absolutely no logic to this. This is the same Pakistan government and the same PCB that, after some time, will say that the dispute was actually Bangladesh’s, the ICC imposed the ban, and we were ready to play and resolve the issue. This is nothing but a complete drama being created to mislead people. They are trying to project that we stand with Bangladesh,” Harbhajan said on his Youtube channel.
The International Cricket Council earlier confirmed that the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will proceed as scheduled, with Bangladesh’s matches to be played in India after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sought its matches be moved to Sri Lanka.
ICC later announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2026 after the BCB refused to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.
“You may say you support Bangladesh, but what have you thought about the people in your own country who want an India-Pakistan match to happen?
When the ICC voting took place on Bangladesh’s request, it was rejected by a 14–2 margin. The ICC chairman may be from India, but the other 14 members who voted against the request are not from India. Australia, England, South Africa and several other countries were part of that vote and supported the decision to exclude Bangladesh. So why are you unnecessarily picking a fight over this issue, and what exactly do you stand to gain from it? asked Harbhajan.
He continued, “You have announced that you will play the World Cup but will not play against India—then stay firm on that decision. Let’s see whether you actually have the courage to stand by it, or whether this was just a shot in the dark. In my view, this decision looks like nothing more than firing an arrow in the air, just to see how far it goes.”
Last year, India and Pakistan played the Asia Cup matches at a neutral venue. Harbhajan further called out Pakistan’s double standards in international cricket, pointing out that financial gains were prioritised in the past despite political tensions.
“Fair enough, if you don’t want to come, then don’t. India also doesn’t go to your country — fair enough. But this match was being played at a neutral venue. Some time ago, there was an issue during the Asia Cup, yet the match still took place because there was revenue involved, and you were not willing to give up that revenue. It’s possible that sanctions were imposed on you, and it’s also possible that in the future you may not get the opportunity to host any ICC tournament,” he concluded.
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Caption: AAP MP Harbhajan Singh at the Parliament House during the Monsoon Session in New Delhi on Wednesday, August 07, 2024. (File Photo: IANS/Qamar Sibtain)
–IANS
