Pakistan's India boycott U-turn sparks memes: Fans say therapy can't fix their issues

Pakistan's India boycott threat ended in a familiar U-turn at the T20 World Cup. Fans mocked the reversal online, joking that Pakistan's India issues are so deep even therapists cannot fix them.

Pakistan’s latest India boycott drama at the T20 World Cup ended exactly where most people thought it would, with a U-turn and a flood of memes.

As soon as Pakistan confirmed it would play India on February 15 in Colombo, fans on social media jumped in with the classic “told you so” energy. Some even joked that Pakistan’s issues with India are so complicated that “even therapists cannot fix them.”

The India vs Pakistan match was briefly in doubt after Pakistan threatened a boycott in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were replaced by Scotland over security concerns. But after an extended meeting involving the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), the threat was quietly rolled back by the Pakistan government.

And once it was, the trolling began.

Much of the online heat was aimed at PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, with users mocking the constant twists and turns in Pakistan’s decision-making. The optics were simply too good for the internet to ignore: a boycott announcement, a week of noise, and then the inevitable U-turn from the PCB.

Naqvi, after the meeting in Lahore, briefed Sharif on what was discussed during the talks, and soon after, the Government of Pakistan confirmed through its official social media account that the team would take the field against India as scheduled.