Salman states India match call beyond players, Marsh avoids Bangladesh debate

Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha on Sunday clarified that the decision to boycott the high-profile India match at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 was beyond the players’ control. While speaking at the post-match conference following the third T20 international against Australia, he stressed that the squad will strictly follow directives from the government and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“We are going to the World Cup. That decision about boycotting the match against India is not ours,” Salman said. “We will do exactly what the government and the PCB chairman instructs us to do.”

Meanwhile, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh struck a neutral tone, saying his team is focused solely on winning the tournament. 

"Look, I will say as in the previous answer, we are going to the World Cup to win. We just want to focus on that. As the Australian team, we trust the people who have been put in place to keep us safe," Marsh quoted.