The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh at the upcoming T20 World Cup. The decision was confirmed through a press release issued on the ICC’s official website.
Bangladesh had earlier declared on January 4 that it would not play its World Cup matches in India. The announcement followed the release of Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman by his Indian Premier League team amid rising political tensions between the two countries. Bangladesh subsequently requested the ICC to shift its matches to Sri Lanka.
The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to move the matches. Despite this, Bangladesh maintained its position and refused to travel to India, effectively ruling itself out of the tournament.
In its statement, the ICC said the decision was taken in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh team in India. The governing body stated that Scotland would take Bangladesh’s place in Group C, alongside England, Italy, Nepal and the West Indies.
The ICC said Scotland was selected because it is the next highest-ranked T20 team after Bangladesh. Scotland is currently ranked 14th in the world.
The statement added that the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to shift matches to Sri Lanka, a co-host of the tournament, was not feasible so close to the event. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7.
The ICC said multiple independent security assessments were conducted by internal and external experts. These assessments concluded there was no credible threat to the Bangladesh team, officials or supporters in India.
The ICC also revealed that discussions with the BCB continued for more than three weeks. Several meetings were held through video links and in person. Detailed security and operational plans were shared during these discussions.
According to the statement, the BCB was given 24 hours after a meeting on Wednesday to confirm its participation. When no confirmation was received, the ICC proceeded to identify a replacement team under its governance rules.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Interior Minister and PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi criticised the ICC’s decision. He said Bangladesh was being treated unfairly and should be allowed to take part in the tournament.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Naqvi said Pakistan’s stance would follow government instructions. He said Bangladesh was a major stakeholder and should not face injustice.
Naqvi also questioned what he described as double standards within the ICC. He suggested Bangladesh should be offered a hybrid model similar to arrangements between Pakistan and India.
Asked about a possible boycott by Pakistan, Naqvi said the final decision would be made after the prime minister’s return. He added that Pakistan had multiple contingency plans in place.