Sri Lanka’s appeal falls on deaf ears as Pakistan refuses to budge: ‘Received the letter but can’t overturn decision’

However, the update from the Pakistan Cricket Board isn’t promising, as its hands remain tied. “Yes, we have received the letter, but we can't overturn the government's decision. The call is firmly with the government,” PCB sources confirmed to The Hindustan Times.

While the general notion among the public and former cricketers suggests that it’s only a matter of time before the Pakistan government makes a U-turn, the fact that the World Cup begins in 24 hours, and there seems to have been no positive development, indicates that, for the first time in history, an India-Pakistan match at an ICC event could well be called off.

In its letter to the PCB, Sri Lanka Cricket emphasised its eagerness to host the marquee India-Pakistan clash, noting that all “commercial, operational, logistical and security arrangements” for the match had already been finalised. This included hospitality planning and the sale of match tickets. SLC also pointed to the strong demand for tickets, underlining unprecedented public interest and significant commercial expectations.

Sri Lanka alerted PCB of catastrophic financial consequences if Pakistan chose not to participate, citing the potential loss of anticipated tourism inflows and wider economic fallout. With speculation over a possible Pakistan boycott lingering, Colombo has already begun to feel the impact, with multiple hotel bookings reportedly cancelled.

When the ICC decided to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, Pakistan butted in, initially threatening to boycott the entire tournament to prove their solidarity with the ousted Bangla Tigers. And on February 1, while the government did give the green light for the team to participate in the tournament, it mentioned that the Pakistan team ‘won’t take the field’ against India.

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