T20 World Cup 2026: Mitchell Marsh brushes aside reporter's question about Pakistan boycotting clash against India

Published - 02 Feb 2026, 13:41 IST | Updated - 02 Feb 2026, 14:08 IST

In a surprising turn of events, the Pakistan government confirmed on Sunday, February 1, that Salman Ali Agha's Pakistan team will not play their T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India. This development has become the major talking point in the cricket fraternity ever since.

A Pakistani reporter tried to take this opportunity to ask Australian captain Mitchell Marsh about his views on the development. The Men in Yellow are currently in Pakistan for a three-match T20I series. After losing the assignment 0-3, Marsh had to face some tough questions in the press conference. However, he shut down a reporter who tried to get a reaction from him on Pakistan deciding to boycott the clash against their arch-rivals.

The experienced seam-bowling all-rounder said that he is focused on what his team needs to do in order to have a successful campaign in the T20 World Cup. The reporter also asked him about his views on Bangladesh being shown the door by the ICC after refusing to play their matches in India, citing security concerns. Marsh, however, didn't budge from his stance, but asserted that the Aussies are not worried about security and are relying on the ones in charge to keep them safe.

Reporter: Just came to know about the Pakistan-India match on the 15th February. You know, Pakistan is going to boycott the Pakistan-India match. So, your point of view, if you want to add some words about this.

Mitchell Marsh: Yeah, I don't really have a comment on that at this point in time. You know, we're going to the World Cup to just focus on what we're doing, and we'll let that stuff take care of itself.

Reporter: Also, ICC full member Bangladesh is not going to participate in this World Cup due to security concerns. As a player, how do you feel that an ICC full member is not going to participate in this World Cup?

Mitchell Marsh: Yeah, I think the same goes for my previous answer, that we're going to the World Cup to try and win it, and we're solely focused on that. And as the Australian team, we trust the people who are in place to keep us safe, and that's all I'll say. Yeah.

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