Pakistan playing all their 2026 T20 World Cup matches in Colombo is an advantage but they will still have to play good cricket to win the trophy, captain Salman Ali Agha has said. The 2009 champions will be playing all their matches at two stadiums in Colombo – the R Premadasa Stadium and the Sinhalese Sports Club ground. This is after India, Pakistan and ICC agreed upon a hybrid model for tournaments hosted by either countries until 2027. It means that matches involving Pakistan in tournaments hosted by India will be played at neutral venues and vice versa. The latter was the case for the 2025 Champions Trophy hosted by Pakistan, with India playing all their matches in Dubai and ultimately winning the tournament. Agha said that while staying in the same hotel throughout the tournament is an advantage, India had won the 2025 Champions Trophy because they played well. “It is an advantage, the other teams will be travelling and staying in different hotels, playing at different grounds. We also will be playing different grounds in Colombo but will be staying at the same hotel. But that doesn’t mean that we can win even if we don’t play good cricket,” said Agha in a press conference in which Pakistan announced their squad for the T20 World Cup. “India played well there, that is why they won. We also have to do the same, only then will we win. But yes, there is definitely an advantage.” Questions remain over participation Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup remains in doubt, though, with Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi saying that the country’s government will decide if the team will play or not. Aaqib Javed, the former fast bowler who is the PCB Director High Performance and member men’s national selection committee reiterated in the press conference on Sunday that they will wait for the Pakistan government’s decision in the matter. “We are selectors and our job is to select the team. We havent announced it too far in advance, (January) 30th was the deadline. The government has to decide, there is nothing I can say about that. The chairman has said that the government will decide so definitely we will wait for their decision,” said Javed. Naqvi had said that the Pakistan government will decide if the PCB is to send the team for the T20 World Cup or not after the International Cricket Council (ICC) decide to drop Bangladesh from the tournament due to the latter’s refusal to travel to India. The ICC in turn could slap heavy sanctions on Pakistan if they don’t play in the T20 World Cup, including suspension of all bilateral series, denial of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for foreign players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and exclusion from the Asia Cup.
‘India won Champions Trophy because they played well’: Salman Ali Agha on Pakistan’s ‘advantage’ in T20 World Cup
