Pakistan joins the list: Teams that previously boycotted matches in ICC events

List of teams that boycotted matches in ICC events [Source: AFP]

The start of the T20 World Cup is still a few days away, but even before it, the marquee event has been marred with controversies, with India and Pakistan mainly involved. With Bangladesh replaced by Scotland in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan got infuriated as they decided not to play against India in the group stage.

The PCB earlier agreed to play the World Cup games in Sri Lanka, but they went against the agreement signed with the ICC as the team will participate in the mega event, but won’t play against their arch-rivals. Interestingly, this is not the first time a team has decided to pull out of a particular match in an ICC event.

Here is a complete list of all the games that were boycotted in previous ICC events.

1) 1996 World Cup: Australia vs Sri Lanka (Australia forfeited)

The first instance of a team deciding not to play against a particular opponent took place in the 1996 World Cup. The tournament was jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan, and at that period, Sri Lanka was going through a period of civil unrest. 

Just before the World Cup, there was a bomb explosion in Sri Lanka, and as a result, the Aussies decided not to travel to the Island Nation, citing security reasons.

As per the ICC rules, Australia lost two crucial points, but the two sides eventually met in the same World Cup final where Sri Lanka defeated the Aussies to clinch their maiden title.

2) 1996 World Cup: Sri Lanka vs West Indies (West Indies forfeited)

In the same World Cup where Australia decided not to travel to Sri Lanka, the West Indies did the same thing and lost two crucial points in the process. Eventually, the team from the Caribbean reached the semis, but lost against the fellow boycott team, Australia.

3) 2003 World Cup: Zimbabwe vs England (England refuse to play)

Fast forward to the 2003 World Cup edition, and political tension was boiling between England and Zimbabwe, and as a result, the Three Lions refused to travel to Harare to play against the Chevrons in a group stage encounter.

During the World Cup clash between Zimbabwe and Namibia, two Zimbabwe stars, Andy Flower and Henry Olongqa wore black armbands to mourn the death of democracy in their nation.

4) 2003 World Cup: Kenya Vs New Zealand (New Zealand refuse to play)

In the same edition of the World Cup, New Zealand refused to travel to Kenya as a result of the suicide bomb blast that killed at least 16 people in Mombasa.The Kiwi management requested ICC to shift their matches from Kenya to South Africa, but the ICC rejected the plea.

Pakistan has become the latest nation to boycott an ICC event match, but unlike other nations who had previously boycotted, Pakistan could face severe consequences due to their agreement with the ICC, which allowed the Pakistan side to play all their World Cup 2026 games in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan broke that agreement, and could be punished in the next few days by the governing body (ICC).