The two arch-rivals were scheduled to meet in a World Cup match in Sri Lanka on February 15. India and Pakistan usually only face each other at neutral venues in the World Cup and Asia Cup. Otherwise, there is no bilateral series between the two countries.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) created an air of mystery over its participation in the T20 World Cup after the ICC decided to include Scotland instead of Bangladesh. Bangladesh requested to move their matches from India due to security reasons, but the request was rejected by the ICC.

Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7. They will face USA on February 10. The boycott of the match against India will give Pakistan a long rest and the ‘Men in Green’ will return to action against Namibia on February 18.

Despite Pakistan’s boycott, Suryakumar Yadav-led Indian team must travel to Sri Lanka to get two points. Team India will follow the ICC protocol. Suryakumar Yadav will also attend the pre-match press conference. The Indian team will reach the stadium at the scheduled time on the day of the match. After that, they will wait for the official decision of the match referee to cancel the match.

According to ICC rules, points are awarded from a match only when one team is present on the field and the other team refuses to play. If both teams are not present on the field, the match is considered abandoned. India on time Colombo R. Premadasa will reach the stadium and wait for the match referee’s decision.

Pakistan lost a Test match against England in 2006 due to this very reason. The Pakistan team refused to take the field on the fourth day after the on-field umpires raised allegations of ball tampering. As a result the match was declared in favor of England.

Article 16.2.1 of the ICC Rules says that the respective team will get 2 points if they are present on the field. The Indian team has to stay in the field even though Pakistan has announced not to play the match earlier. If both teams are not on the field, the match will be declared abandoned. Then again the Indian team will also face punishment.