Just days before the start of the T20 World Cup, a brief statement on the Pakistan government's official X handle sent shockwaves through the cricketing world. Pakistan, it said, would participate in the tournament but would not take the field against India on February 15, a high-voltage clash billed as the marquee event of the World Cup.

The announcement came amid swirling speculation that Pakistan might pull out of the tournament altogether, citing the increasing politicisation of the ICC and its selective application of rules. While the statement itself was careful not to spell out the reasons behind the decision, PM Shehbaz Sharif later clarified the intent. Pakistan's move was meant to express solidarity with Bangladesh, which had been controversially expelled from the World Cup after it had refused to play its matches in India due to "legitimate security concerns".

The controversy began quietly but escalated rapidly. One of the IPL franchises, reportedly at the behest of the BCCI, was asked to remove........

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