‘Can’t have double standards’: Former ICC chairman explains why Pakistan should not face sanctions | T20 World Cup 2026

Ehsan Mani has called it ‘double standards’ in case Pakistan face sanctions. According to the former ICC chairman, Pakistan is merely following instructions from its government over playing India at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Speaking to Sportstar, Mani pointed out that India had earlier refused to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy on government advice. That time, the Men in Blue did not face punishment. According to him, the same principle must apply to Pakistan.

“You can’t have double standards. So, unfortunately, again I come back to the fact that instead of dealing with the problem, the ICC just stood there as a bystander,” the former PCB chairman told the publication.

“You left the door open for any country to get its government involved. And, especially knowing that the chairman of the PCB (Mohsin Naqvi) is a serving minister of the government,” he added.

The Pakistan government announced on 1 February that its men’s cricket team would boycott the group match against India. The high-profile game is scheduled for 15 February at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The Shahbaz Sharif government allowed the team to play the rest of the tournament in Sri Lanka. The decision is a political protest following the ICC's removal of Bangladesh from the competition.

The governing body replaced Bangladesh with Scotland after the team had refused to travel to India over security concerns. Pakistan plan to play its other Group A matches against the Netherlands on 7 February and the USA on 10 February.

By skipping the India match, Pakistan will forfeit two points, which will be awarded to India. However, Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav needs to be present at the toss to secure the two points.

The ICC, while warning of sanctions, said it has yet to receive any official confirmation from the Pakistan Cricket Board. The announcement came from the Government of Pakistan via a social media post.

While Ehsan Mani referred to the 2025 Champions Trophy, India’s decision was slightly different from Pakistan’s latest move. The BCCI did not refuse to play against Pakistan. It refused to travel to the country due to security reasons.

Eventually, there were three India vs Pakistan matches in the tournament. India won all three of those, including the final. All those matches were held in the UAE.

In earlier cases, teams avoided travelling to certain countries or cities due to local security or political concerns. For example, Australia refused to visit Colombo in 1996, and New Zealand didn’t travel to Nairobi in 2003.

However, their decision was due to security reasons. They were willing to play the same opponents at alternative venues. The issue was always the venue, not the opposition.

In contrast, Pakistan have been cleared to play all its T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, a neutral country already accepted by all teams. However, its government has directed a boycott of only the match against India.

At the same time, Pakistan plan to play other Group A matches. This selective participation, targeting an opponent rather than a venue, has no clear precedent. The ICC’s move, whatever it is, will set a benchmark.