New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate under the tournament’s published schedule, which would require them to play their league stage games in India.
Bangladesh had sought to move their group-stage fixtures from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns in the wake of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman being released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. But ICC’s decision ends weeks of uncertainty after the BCB repeatedly pressed for a venue change and even suggested swapping groups with Ireland.
In a statement, ICC said independent assessments found no credible threat to the team’s safety. With the tournament set to begin on February 7, the governing body said it was not feasible to alter Bangladesh’s fixtures at such short notice.
ICC officials, including chairman Jay Shah, met in Dubai before formally deciding to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the mega event. "The decision follows an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India. Over a period of more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both via video conference and in-person,” said the statement.
As no confirmation was received within the deadline, the ICC "proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team," said ICC in its statement.
Scotland will now take Bangladesh’s place in Group C alongside England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies. Interestingly, Scotland had played the 2009 T20 World Cup in England after Zimbabwe pulled out of the tournament due to political reasons.
Bangladeshi journalists ‘denied’ accreditation for T20 WCNew Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly rejected accreditation applications from Bangladeshi journalists to cover the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. The development came after Bangladesh refused to participate under the tournament’s published schedule, which would have required them to play their league-stage games in India, and was subsequently replaced by Scotland in the tournament. According to a Daily Star report, several journalists claimed that a number of Bangladeshi photojournalists initially received approval emails on January 20 and 21, only to have their accreditations revoked later. The report quoted BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain claiming 130 to 150 journalists from Bangladesh had applied for accreditation. "As far as I know, all Bangladeshi journalists were rejected. Around 130 to 150 journalists applied this year, but none received accreditation,” Amzad said. |
Pak players to back PCB, govt on T20 WC participationNew Delhi: Pakistan players showed solidarity with their government and cricket board on any decision they take regarding the team's participation in next month's World Cup, a report said. All the top players met PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Lahore and assured him that any decision taken by the government and PCB will have their support," sources told Telecomasia.net. "We are all with our government and cricket board and back their stance of protesting what happened to Bangladesh." Naqvi met the players of the World Cup squad announced on Sunday to brief them on the team's participation in the T20I World Cup, amid uncertainty following Bangladesh's elimination from the World Cup in an unjust decision. Pakistan's selector Aaqib Javed was questioned during the media briefing on the squad announcement about the team's chances of featuring in the mega event. "As players and management, we are preparing for the World Cup and it is up to the PCB and government to take a final call." Pakistan's withdrawal will be a crucial blow to the International Cricket Council, as the match between Pakistan and India generates huge revenue, reportedly amounting to 500 million dollars. |
