One phone call, 30 minutes of conversation... Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif agrees to the IND vs PAK match

Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif for taking a U-turn on his decision to boycott the match against India. The T20 World Cup group stage match between India and Pakistan will be played in Colombo on February 15th. The official announcement is to be made today.

How did one call force Pakistan to take a U-turn?

Indeed, a telephone conversation between Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif late on Monday, February 9th, proved to be a game-changer in this matter. Following this conversation, Pakistan has agreed to play the match with India. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed this, saying,

The President and Prime Minister spoke on the phone for approximately 30 minutes. This is pure cricket diplomacy. Earlier, the Pakistan government revealed in a post on Instagram that, in addition to Sri Lanka's initiative, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had also made a formal request to the PCB to play the match against India. - Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath

The post stated, "The Pakistan government has reviewed the formal requests made by the BCB to the PCB, as well as supportive communications from Sri Lanka, the UAE, and other member countries. These communications sought Pakistan's leadership in finding practical solutions to recent challenges."

Sri Lankan PM Expresses Delight

Dissanayake wrote on X, "I am delighted that the eagerly awaited India-Pakistan match will be held in Colombo at the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup. As co-host of the tournament, Sri Lanka thanks the ICC and all concerned for their efforts. Sri Lanka has not forgotten the solidarity shown by India and Pakistan during the 1996 World Cup, when they played in Colombo at a time when others avoided it due to security concerns." - Sri Lankan President Dissanayake

Now the wait is for the official announcement that the India-Pakistan match will be played in Colombo on February 15th.