Pakistan will seek govt nod in potential India T20 World Cup finals clash

Pakistan will seek advice from their government if they reach the knockout phase of the T20 World Cup and meet arch-rivals India, captain Salman Agha said on Thursday.

The tournament has been marred by an acrimonious political buildup after Bangladesh were kicked out and Pakistan refused to face co-hosts India in their Group A match.

However, a semi-final or final showdown between the uneasy South Asian neighbours is still a possibility.

“The India game is not in our control. It was the government’s decision and if we have to play them in the semi-final or the final, we will go back to them and act on their advice,” Agha told reporters in Colombo.

Bangladesh refused to play in India, citing security concerns, as relations soured and were kicked out of Group C by the International Cricket Council (ICC), to be replaced by Scotland.

Pakistan backed Bangladesh’s plea to have their games moved to Sri Lanka.

The government in Islamabad cleared the national team to take part but ordered them not to play in the marquee group match against India on February 15.

“It’s sad Bangladesh are not here. They have a very good side. Hopefully, they will support us,” Agha said.

Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for more than a decade, and meet only in multinational events.

They will face Namibia, the Netherlands and the United States in the group stage.

“We’re excited to play in this tournament. We lost to USA in the last World Cup and we are determined to put that disappointment behind us and put a few things right,” Agha said.

Pakistan will not only lose two points for forfeiting their India match but will also take a big hit to their net run rate.

Even losing one of their group games to bad weather could make it difficult for Pakistan to qualify.

“We know the margin for error is small, but we can’t control the weather.

We are here to play good cricket and we’re not bothered about the conditions,” Agha said.

Pakistan, the 2009 champions, arrive after a 3-0 whitewash of Australia at home.

“We’ve been playing really good cricket. We haven’t lost a series since the Asia Cup last year. Everything is coming along nicely and we’re confident of doing well,” Agha said.

All of Pakistan’s games will be played in Sri Lanka, where they toured in January.

“Very happy to play in Sri Lanka — it’s a second home for me. This is my sixth visit, we know the conditions and we get a lot of support,” Agha said.