The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is set to begin this Saturday in Sri Lanka, with teams ramping up preparations across host cities.

Pakistan will play a warm-up match against Ireland today, with the game scheduled to start at 4.30pm in Colombo.

In the mega event, the Green Shirts will kick off their campaign with a group-stage match against the Netherlands on the opening day.

For Pakistan, the real challenge in the World Cup is not losing points due to the boycott of their match against India, but the unpredictable weather in Colombo.

Pakistan will play all its group-stage matches in Sri Lanka, where heavy rains could severely impact their World Cup campaign — especially since the team will not play India in line with government direction.

Pakistan is scheduled to play four matches in the group stage.

With the India game already off the table, the focus is now on the other three matches, two of which could be disrupted by rain.

Even a single rain-affected match could prove costly for Pakistan, not just in terms of points but also their net run rate — a crucial factor for advancing to the next stage.

Colombo’s famously unpredictable weather is adding to the anxiety among fans, who know that a washed-out game could leave the team trailing on the points table and at a disadvantage compared to other sides when it comes to net run rate.

According to forecasters at AccuWeather, Pakistan’s first match against the Netherlands on February 7 faces a 64 per cent chance of rain, heightening concerns about how the weather could shape their early campaign.