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T20 World Cup: After controversy surrounding the Bangla Tigers' participation in the maqueer event, Bangladesh's hopes of participating in the T20 World Cup have been dashed as the International Cricket Council (ICC) has formally named Scotland as their replacement.
The decision follows Bangladesh's failure to meet the ICC's deadline to confirm participation amidst security concerns.
"The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule," ICC stated in a statement on Saturday.
Replacing Bangladesh, Scotland have been placed in Group C with England, West Indies, Italy and Nepal.
The statement by ICC read, "The announcement comes after the ICC, in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India, rejected the BCB’s demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, in the 20-team tournament to be played from 7 February to 8 March."
"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."
In the official release, ICC stated that they reviewed BCB concerns, consulted security experts, and shared robust plans with assurances at multiple levels, including the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.
"As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board," the statement further read.
"The ICC’s assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India. In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule."
ICC had given Bangladesh a 24-hour ultimatum but the team failed to confirm participation, paving the way for replacement.
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"As no confirmation was received within the stipulated deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team," the statement further read.
Scotland, ranked 14th in T20Is, lead the pack of teams awaiting a potential wildcard spot, sitting ahead of seven teams already in the tournament, including Namibia and UAE.