Former International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ehsan Mani has said Pakistan will not face any sanctions for boycotting its scheduled T20 World Cup match against India.

 

Speaking to media, Mani said, "If the Pakistan team follows government instructions and skips the match, no punishment can be imposed." He stressed that India also refused to play its matches in Pakistan during the 2025 Champions Trophy due to government directives. "So applying sanctions on Pakistan now would reflect a double standard."

 

Mani criticized the ICC for failing to address the issue properly, saying, "It stood by as a spectator and left the door open for politics to enter the sport."

 

Senior sports journalist Faizan Lakhani also responded to Indian media claims on X that the ICC could ban Pakistan from future events. 

 

He wrote, “Those claiming ‘ICC will do this, ICC will do that’ should first understand how contracts work. Every major contract or agreement includes a force majeure clause. It covers government-mandated decisions, among other factors, and relieves parties from obligations and liabilities arising from such circumstances. That clause provides full legal cover to the PCB as well. Do you really think Pakistan announced this decision without doing its legal homework first?”

 

Pakistan had allowed its national cricket team to participate in the T20 World Cup. However, in a gesture of solidarity with Bangladesh, the team will boycott the February 15 match against India.