Cricket commentators, journalists and political figures reacted on Tuesday to the government’s announcement that Pakistan would play the T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for February 15.
Pakistan had previously vowed to boycott the match, in support of Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected its plea to let it play its matches against India in Sri Lanka.
However, Pakistan’s decision to play India was made after an ICC delegation arrived in the country over the weekend and held meetings with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on the team’s participation in the match. Sri Lanka had also urged Pakistan to play India.
In the wake of the decision, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath thanked PM Shehbaz, as well as Pakistan’s government and Foreign Office (FO), on social media for “positively considering Sri Lanka’s request” to play its T20 clash against India.
“I also appreciate the PCB and Pakistan’s sports authorities for their cooperation. A gesture that reflects sportsmanship, friendship, and the strength of our bilateral ties,” he said.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who had called PM Shehbaz yesterday, had expressed delight at the decision and thanked the premier for “ensuring the game we all love goes on”.
Journalist Faizan Lakhani reposted the statement, commenting, “When a head of state publicly thanks Pakistan for agreeing to play a match that doesn’t even involve his own team, it’s clear this was bigger than sport.”
He said that the statement by the Sri Lankan president highlighted Pakistan’s importance in world cricket and showed that “government-level intervention was needed to resolve a serious standoff” and keep the game on course.
Meanwhile, former cricketer Shahid Afridi praised the decision, saying, “The spirit of cricket has prevailed.”
He said that the government of Pakistan had “protected the sanctity of the T20 World Cup and ensured the game’s global stability” with their decision to participate.
“Cricket wins, which means it will continue to play its pivotal role of bridging the widest of divides.”
Former English cricketer Michael Vaughan termed the decision to play “great for the competition and cricket”.
“We need them to somehow play a Test series soon as well … “[the] UK would be a great place to host a three-match series,” he added.
Indian cricket commentator and journalist Harsha Bhogle suggested that the decision to play had been inevitable, saying, “Pakistan were always going to play.
“It was clear as daylight. Withdrawal was never even a possibility.”
Veteran Indian journalist Pradeep Magazine told AFP “good sense has prevailed on all sides”.
Financial considerations would have been taken into account, he added.
“India-Pakistan is not just about cricket revenue — it also means wider commercial revenue,” he said.
“Everyone realised that losing the revenue from an India-Pakistan match would have been a loss-loss situation for all ICC member nations.”
He also posted on social media on Tuesday morning, “India may be the economic driver behind cricket and generate revenues and huge money for the game but it needs teams to play against to do so. Sports does not exist in a vacuum.”
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Madan Lal told AFP: “Pakistan did shake up the ICC by repeatedly saying they would not play.
“Eventually, the ICC had to send officials to Pakistan to sort out the issue” and that was ‘good for cricket’.
“We want strong teams to play so that the charm of the World Cup is not lost,” he added.
Lal also posted on X that “Bangladesh solved the problem for ICC. They told Pakistan to play the game on the 15th. What happened behind closed doors nobody knows.”
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