Sri Lanka President thanks Pakistan PM for India match boycott withdrawal

Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for directing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to end the boycott of their T20 World Cup match against India in Colombo on February 15.

The India-Pakistan match will go ahead as scheduled after Pakistan's government decided to withdraw its boycott call following persuasion from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, ending an impasse that cast a shadow on the ongoing tournament.

"Delighted that the eagerly awaited India Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 cricket World Cup in Colombo will go ahead," Dissanayake said on X platform.

Thank you Prime Minister @CMShehbaz for ensuring the game we all love goes on. Delighted that the eagerly awaited India and Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup in Colombo will proceed as planned.

As co-host of the tournament, Sri Lanka thanks the @ICC and all…

— Anura Kumara Dissanayake (@anuradisanayake) February 9, 2026

Dissanayake had called Sharif Monday night to convince him to play the game following the Sri Lanka Cricket letter addressed to PCB to change its decision.

Pakistan PM's office acknowledged Dissanayake's call in the government release which effectively ended the match boycott by his country.

Pakistan had earlier said they would not play the India match, which was seen as a political protest linked to Bangladesh's removal from the tournament after the world body declined its request to shift matches from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds.