India-Pakistan matches are the heartbeat of ICC tournaments, both in terms of financial impact and cricketing atmosphere. Of course, the level of competence of these fixtures has reduced in recent years with India having a strong upperhand over Pakistan, but the brand value of an India-Pakistan game remains unprecedented.
Which is why the Pakistan government's announcement on Sunday (February 2) regarding the boycott of the India-Pakistan game on February 15 came as a shock to cricket fans and pundits alike. It must, however, be noted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is yet to write a formal letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the boycott. Therefore, the ICC is ready to play the waiting game.
Meanwhile, there is a huge possibility of the Pakistan team making a U-turn on their government's current stance of boycotting the India game. Pakistan start their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Netherlands on Saturday (February 7) in Colombo but currently, weather forecast for that fixture looks extremely ominous.
The Australia-Netherlands warm-up game in Colombo on February 5 afternoon was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to heavy rain. Pakistan's game against the Dutch is scheduled to be held at 11 am local time. Currently, BBC forecast predicts 30-40 percent chances of rain and thunderstorm from morning to afternoon, which means that the match could be impacted.
If the forecast worsens, Pakistan could even end up enduring a washout, which could put their campaign in disarray, should they then decide to boycott the India game. As things stand, weather in Colombo is unpredictable and if Pakistan end up being on the wrong side of it, we could see the India-Pakistan match happening as scheduled.
