COLOMBO (Kashmir English): Pakistan’s only warm-up match ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 against Ireland (Pak vs Ire) was abandoned without a ball being bowled at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday.
Incessant rain washed out the match, which was crucial for Green Shirts to assess the playing conditions in the island nation, where Pakistan will play all its fixtures of the World Cup.
“The warm-up match between Pakistan and Ireland has been called off due to rain,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted on X.
ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 🏏
The warm-up match between Pakistan and Ireland has been called off due to rain 🌧️#PAKvIRE | #T20WorldCup | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/ftPfBvn4Wr
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 4, 2026
Pakistan will start their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 at the same venue, which will also host their two more group-stage matches against the United States of America (USA) and Namibia on February 10 and February 18, respectively.
While the match against arch-rivals India has been scheduled at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15. The Government of Pakistan has already announced a boycott of the game.
The top two teams from each of the four pools will advance into the Super Eight. The subsequent stage will feature eight teams, divided into two groups of four, with the top two teams from each pool qualifying for the semi-final, scheduled to be played on March 4 and 5.
Pakistan squad arrives
Earlier on Monday, a 15-player Pakistan team squad arrived in Sri Lanka for participation in the T20 World Cup set to begin on February 7.
“The 15-player national squad includes Captain Salman Ali Agha, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Naeef, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq,” the PCB said in a post on X.
On Sunday, the Pakistani government gave the go-ahead for the national side’s participation in the global tournament, but barred it from playing against arch-rival India on February 15.
The announcement followed days of uncertainty regarding a possible boycott of the tournament over Bangladesh’s exclusion following tensions with India.
Pakistan refused to play against India to express solidarity with Bangladesh. According to the government sources, the primary reason for boycotting the match with India was the ICC’s “biased decision” towards Bangladesh.
