Pakistan To Play India In T20 World Cup After Boycott Threat Resolve

Pakistan will play their scheduled T20 World Cup match against India on Feb 14 after initially being instructed by their government to boycott the fixture.

The crisis began when Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament last month after their request to play matches outside India on security grounds was rejected by the International Cricket Council. Scotland was given Bangladesh's spot in the tournament.

In solidarity with Bangladesh, Pakistan's government announced on February 1 that it would forfeit the India match in Colombo, a decision that could have significantly impacted the ICC's broadcast deal.

After talks in Lahore involving the ICC, Pakistan Cricket Board and Bangladesh Cricket Board, an agreement was reached. Bangladesh will face no penalties and will be awarded hosting rights for a future ICC tournament, while Pakistan dropped its boycott plan.

The Pakistan government said on Monday evening: "This decision has been taken with the aim of protecting the spirit of cricket, and to support the continuity of this global sport in all participating nations."

The ICC said: "It was agreed that all members will respect their commitments as per the terms of participation for ICC events and do all that is necessary to ensure that the ongoing edition of the ICC men's T20 World Cup is a success."