The biggest festival of world cricket, the T20 World Cup, is returning again next year in February 2026. Although it may bring a flood of joy for cricket fans, there has been no end to discussions and criticism surrounding this World Cup from the beginning. A few months before the start of the tournament, an issue has sparked a huge debate, which has become a topic of intense discussion from social media to the international cricket arena. The picture of the Pakistan team captain has been omitted from the official campaign for selling tickets for the World Cup by the ICC (International Cricket Council).
What was in the ad?
The 2026 T20 World Cup ticket sales officially began on Thursday (December 11). The ICC has called for colorful, inspiring images on its website and various social media platforms to help buyers buy tickets. The images feature Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, England’s Harry Brook, Australia’s Mitchell Marsh, Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka and South Africa’s Aden Markram.
But it is noteworthy that the image of Pakistan captain Babar Azam, one of the strongest and most popular teams in world cricket, or any other star player, was not included in the ad. Although the Pakistani national flag is seen in the second row in the ad, the absence of the captain’s face has sparked a strong reaction.
Pakistani fans’ anger and controversy
Pakistani cricket fans are furious with the ICC in the wake of the incident. They are asking on “hashtags” and social media why a Test-playing nation and recent World Cup finalist team has been ignored in this way? According to many, it is a deliberate and disrespectful move, which goes against the message of unity and harmony in cricket.
A fan wrote on Twitter, “20-team World Cup, and only 5 captains in the campaign. If the rationale for the selection is ‘popularity and success’, then how did Pakistan, a 2026 World Cup finalist and one of the top T20 teams in the world, get left out?” This question is being asked repeatedly.
Counterarguments and ICC’s silence
While the fans’ anger seems justified, other commentators are also giving a different argument. According to them, only five of the 20 countries participating in the World Cup have their images used. So why aren’t the remaining 14 countries (such as the Netherlands, Scotland, Afghanistan, Namibia) protesting? This is probably a marketing strategy, where a few countries with the most market influence are given priority.
However, the ICC, the organization at the center of the controversy, has not yet given any direct explanation or statement behind this particular decision. Their silence is fueling the controversy. It seems that the organization only wants to focus on selling tickets and organizing the World Cup.
World Cup details: Tickets, time and venue
ICC Chief Executive Sanjay Gupta said that their main goal is to bring the maximum number of spectators to the field. Therefore, the ticket price has been kept affordable. The lowest ticket price in India is only 100 Indian rupees, and in Sri Lanka it is 1000 Sri Lankan rupees. However, the highest price is not yet clear. Tickets can be purchased on the website tickets.cricketworldcup.com.
Although the main host country is India, the Pakistan team will not play in India due to political reasons. All their matches will be held in Sri Lanka. This World Cup will have 20 teams divided into four groups. After the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals. A total of 55 matches will be played in the tournament. Matches will be played in three slots every day at 11 am, 3 pm and 7 pm Indian time, which will be convenient for the spectators.
The ICC has always said that its aim is to spread cricket globally. But is cricketing standards taking precedence in every step, from ticket sales to venue allocation, or are profit-loss and political equations more influential? The anger of Pakistani fans is not just about a picture, but an expression of a feeling that a major cricketing nation is being marginalized on a continuous basis. Read more
To buy World Cup tickets: tickets.cricketworldcup.com
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