By Asif Naveed
LAHORE (MNN); The International Cricket Council has replaced Bangladesh with Scotland for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 after Dhaka refused to send its team to India for the tournament, ESPNcricinfo reported on Saturday.
According to the report, the ICC informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of the decision through an email sent on Friday evening, after the BCB conveyed that the Bangladesh government had not granted permission for the team to travel to India for the event, scheduled to begin on February 7.
The report added that the BCB, citing its communication with the ICC on Thursday, expressed its intention to refer the matter to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee.
Bangladesh had declined to play its World Cup matches in India, citing safety concerns amid strained political relations between the two countries, and demanded that its matches be shifted to Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament.
Earlier this week, the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to move its matches outside India. In a statement issued after a board meeting, the ICC said the decision was taken after reviewing all security assessments, including independent evaluations, which found no credible threat to Bangladesh’s players, officials, media personnel or fans at any of the Indian venues.
The ICC said it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and warned that altering the schedule in the absence of a verified security risk could set a precedent that might undermine future ICC events.
Bangladesh had announced on January 4 that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India after its player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League franchise amid rising tensions between the two neighbours. The BCB subsequently formally requested the ICC to shift its matches to Sri Lanka.
Despite the ICC’s rejection of the request, Bangladesh maintained its refusal to travel to India, effectively ruling itself out of the tournament, prompting reports that Scotland would take its place.
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday said Bangladesh was being treated unfairly by the ICC and should be allowed to participate in the T20 World Cup.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Naqvi said Pakistan’s stance on the issue would be taken in line with the directives of the government of Pakistan.
He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was currently out of the country and that a final decision on Pakistan’s position would be announced after his return.
Calling the ICC’s decision unjust, Naqvi said he had raised the issue during the ICC board meeting, stressing that decisions could not be made on the basis of double standards.
He said Bangladesh was a major stakeholder in international cricket and should not be excluded from the tournament under the prevailing circumstances.
Naqvi said the PCB believed that if a hybrid model could be adopted in arrangements involving Pakistan and India, a similar approach should be considered for Bangladesh as well.
He added that no country should dictate terms to another, and Pakistan would maintain its own stance if such pressure was applied.
When asked about the possibility of Pakistan boycotting the World Cup, Naqvi said the decision rested with the federal government and reiterated that a final call would be made after consultations.
Responding to a question about alternative plans, he remarked that the PCB had multiple options in place and would decide accordingly once the government’s position was clear.
