T20 World Cup 2026: What Will Pakistan Do If They Face India In Final? Skipper Salman Ali Agha Has The Answer

Lahore: Pakistan cricket team captain Salman Ali Agha has made it clear that if the team faces India in the knockout stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, the players will proceed according to the government's advice. Political tensions have already overshadowed the India-Pakistan match. The issue has become even more sensitive after Bangladesh's exclusion from the T20 World Cup 2026 and Pakistan's boycott of the group match against India.

What did Salman Ali Agha say?

At the captains' press conference on Thursday, Agha said, "Playing against India is not in our hands. It was the government's decision, and if we have a match against India in the semi-final or final, we will again consult the government."

He clarified that the team's focus is solely on cricket and they are not paying attention to external matters. Pakistan's boycott of the group match against India on February 15 was in support of Bangladesh. The ICC had excluded Bangladesh from the tournament after the BCB's demand to hold the matches outside India was rejected.

What did Agha say about Bangladesh's absence from the World Cup?

Expressing his regret over Bangladesh's exclusion, Agha said, "It's unfortunate that Bangladesh is not here. Their team is quite strong. Hopefully, they will support us." Agha expressed his enthusiasm about captaining in his first T20 World Cup and said that the team's performance has consistently improved over the last six months.

He said, "We haven't lost a series since the Asia Cup. The team is full of confidence." He also added that no team can be taken lightly in the World Cup and currently the focus is on the first match against the Netherlands.

Pakistan will begin its campaign against the Netherlands on February 7, followed by matches against the USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18. All group matches will be played in Colombo. Meanwhile, Pakistan also has a league match against India on February 15, which it has decided to boycott following intervention from the Pakistani government.