ISLAMABAD : 10 Feb 2026 – Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for ensuring that Pakistan will participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India.
Sharing a message on social media, President Dissanayake wrote: “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.”
He added, “As co-host of the tournament, Sri Lanka thanks the @ICC and all concerned for their efforts. Sri Lanka hasn’t forgotten the solidarity shown by both India and Pakistan during the 1996 World Cup, when they played in Colombo at a time when others refrained due to security concerns.”
On Monday night, the Government of Pakistan announced that the national team will participate in the scheduled T20 World Cup match against India. The decision formally confirmed Pakistan’s participation in the fixture on February 15 in Sri Lanka, ending weeks of speculation regarding the team’s travel and involvement.
The government also expressed solidarity with Bangladesh while granting permission for the Pakistani team to play the high-profile match.
Earlier, on Monday 09 Feb , Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif during a telephonic conversation with Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake discussed matters related to T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and India.
The Sri Lankan President requested the Prime Minister that Pakistani cricket team should play the Pakistan-India match in Sri Lanka.
Pakistan fully supported Sri Lankan cricket during the terrorism in Sri Lanka, The President said adding Pakistan gave priority to its long-standing relations with Sri Lanka above all else and the Pakistani cricket team continued to tour Sri Lanka to play cricket despite terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed the sentiments of the Sri Lankan President. He said Sri Lanka also provided full support in difficult times and cricket continued in Pakistan.
“Recently the Sri Lankan team took an unforgettable step for the Pakistani nation and cricket fans by not cancelling the tour of Pakistan,” he added.
The Prime Minister told the the Sri Lankan President that he will inform him of the final decision after consultations regarding the Pakistan-India match of the T20 World Cup.
