Lahore, January 31, 2026: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has postponed the unveiling of the national team’s official jersey for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, citing “unavoidable reasons”, amid growing uncertainty over Pakistan’s participation in the tournament.
According to well-placed sources, the PCB had planned to reveal the official kit after the toss of the second T20I against Australia at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. However, the plan was shelved due to unresolved issues surrounding Pakistan’s involvement in the marquee event.
The postponement comes as uncertainty persists over Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on February 7 and will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Sources further disclosed that the PCB is expected to make a final decision on Monday following high-level consultations.
Pakistan are currently scheduled to begin their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7 and have been placed in Group A, alongside arch-rivals India, as well as the USA and Namibia.
Notably, the PCB announced a 15-member squad for the tournament on January 25 during a media conference attended by PCB Director of High Performance and Men’s National Selection Committee member Aqib Javed, Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, and T20I captain Salman Ali Agha.
Captain Salman Ali Agha, along with Faheem Ashraf, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan and Usman Tariq, earned maiden call-ups to Pakistan’s squad for a major ICC event.
Meanwhile, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Usman Khan have featured in one or more editions of the T20 World Cup since 2021.
Under the ICC’s ‘Fusion Formula’, the 2009 champions will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, a provision that ensures Pakistan and India do not tour each other for ICC events over a three-year period and instead compete at neutral venues.
If Pakistan qualify for the semi-finals and final, both knockout matches will be hosted in Colombo. Otherwise, the semi-finals and final will take place in Kolkata and Ahmedabad, respectively.
