U-19 World Cup 2026: Why can Pakistan boycott Ind-Pak U-19 clash?
Can the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) look to boycott the upcoming clash against the arch-rivals, the Indian side, heading into the last Super Six fiture of the 2026 season of the U19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Pakistancollected a massive victory by eight wickets during their successful chase against New Zealand during the first Super Six encounter inside 17.1 overs of 112 runs, which saw them leapfrog several teams and get the third spot of the second group, just behind India and England. The former sits at the top with three wins, along with the latter.
Pakistan’s next encounter of the U19 World Cup will be against India, the arch-rivals, where they not only need a victory but a win by a massive margin to go beyond the blue brigade’s net run rate and qualify for the semifinal of the competition. India, meanwhile, sits with an NRR of +3.337.
See Also: Can Pakistan qualify for U-19 World Cup 2026 semifinal? Know qualifying scenarios vs India
Now, the question stands: can Pakistan look to boycott the upcoming clash against the arch-rivals, which will be a stand against the ICC ahead of the upcoming senior Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka? However, that will rule them out of the semifinal of the U19 World Cup.
Can Pakistan boycott U19 World Cup 2026 clash vs India
The potential boycott decision will stand against the ICC, which replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the T20 World Cup 2026 after the BCB’s two letters to the governing body, questioning the security of the hosts. Meanwhile, the news has come that Pakistan may look to either boycott the entire T20 event or only the India-Pakistan match.
A withdrawal from the game against India could leave the PCB facing a legal claim of around 38 million dollars from the broadcasters. Pakistan’s options are anyway limited as any such move could trigger ICC sanctions, affecting the bilateral cricket, NOCs for the overseas players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and even the hosting and participating in the Asia Cup.
“Held a constructive meeting with Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz (Shehbaz) Sharif. I updated him on the ICC issue, and he advised that it be addressed with all options kept open. It was mutually agreed that a final call will be made either on Friday or next Monday.” The PCB chief, Mohsin Naqvi, shed light on social media, reflecting on Pakistan’s final decision on the T20 World Cup.
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