‘I Want Rain’: Former Pakan cricketer’s wish ahead of his team’s T20 World Cup showdown with India | Cricket News

3 min readFeb 14, 2026 03:59 PM After weeks of uncertainty following Pakan’s boycott threat, India will take on their arch-rivals in a group-stage match of the T20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday. While millions of spectators are eagerly anticipating the tie — and millions of dollars are riding on the high-stakes clash – at least one person is hoping it will be washed out.
Basit Ali, the former Pakan cricketer, said he will pray that rain washes out the crucial Group A match on Sunday.
Both teams have begun their campaigns strongly, winning their opening two matches. India secured victories over the United States and Namibia, while Pakan overcame the Netherlands and the USA in their first outings.
The build-up to the clash, however, was clouded uncertainty. Pakan had initially threatened to boycott the fixture in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were barred from participating in the tournament after failing to play their scheduled matches in India. The standoff was eventually resolved, with Pakan withdrawing the boycott and confirming they would go ahead with the match against India.
When asked about his prediction about the match on A-Sports, Ali said: “Meri toh dua hai Allah Ta’ala baarish kar de (My prayer is that Allah Ta’ala makes it rain.)”
Ali insed that he wasn’t scared that Pakan would lose the match, but wished for rain to play spoilsport because ‘both teams get a point each’. When the interviewer said he ‘wanted a full match’, Ali repeated: “I want rain.”
According to AccuWeather, the forecast for Colombo on Sunday is ‘cloudy with a few showers,’ with a 93% chance of rain. Showers are expected at various points throughout the day.Story continues below this ad
Rain chances are projected to drop to 9% later in the evening, which could mean clear conditions during match time. However, persent rain earlier in the day may delay the start due to a wet outfield. Thunderstorms are also possible, with a 26% chance forecast, and total rainfall is expected to reach around 12.1 mm.
Ali has been critical of Pakan’s performance in the T20 World Cup. Pakan were given a mighty scare the Netherlands in the tournament opener before Faheem Ashraf rescued them and helped them to a three-wicket victory with three balls to spare.
“Pakan bach gaya bhai! (Pakan just about survived). When Shaheen Shah Afridi is called in to bat, you can imagine what Pakan’s batting did in that game. Bad batsmanship the middle order, especially Babar Azam, Nawaz and Shadab Khan. These are experienced players. They have played not just in leagues across the world, but also in the Pakan Super League. Today, they did not become heroes for Pakan; they ended up being zeroes,” Ali had said.
“Who is a match-changer in the Pakan team? What are you going to say to a country’s fans who get happy when a wicket falls just because it means that Babar Azam will come to bat? But then Babar comes and goes. Today’s star for Pakan was Faheem Ashraf, who came in at No 8. Baaki batsman chanafali bech rahe the kya? (Were the rest of the batters selling peanuts?)”