ICC replaces Bangladesh with Scotland for men’s T20 World Cup after travel refusal over safety concerns
The ICC has replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in next month’s men’s T20 World Cup after Bangladesh refused to travel to India and sought to shift matches to Sri Lanka. The ICC said Bangladesh was given a deadline to confirm participation and proceeded with replacement when no confirmation came. The change also carries a major financial hit for the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
- Reporting desk
- Health India Network News Desk
- First published
Scotland will replace Bangladesh in next month’s men’s T20 World Cup after Bangladesh refused to travel to India citing safety concerns, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced. The decision follows weeks of uncertainty in which the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it would not play scheduled matches in India, and asked that its fixtures be moved to Sri Lanka, a request the ICC rejected.
In its explanation, the ICC said the BCB had been given a 24-hour time frame to confirm whether the national team would participate in India as scheduled. When the governing body did not receive confirmation within that deadline, it proceeded under its established governance and qualification process to identify a replacement team. Scotland, the ICC said, were next in line on ranking and eligibility criteria among teams that had narrowly missed qualification.
The reshuffle places Scotland into Group C alongside England, Nepal, Italy and West Indies, and gives the Scottish side another World Cup appearance. Cricket Scotland’s leadership described it as an opportunity for players who had missed qualification by a small margin to compete on a major stage. From a tournament operations perspective, the ICC’s move ensures the group line-up is finalised with limited time to spare before the event begins.
For Bangladesh, the decision carries a substantial financial cost. The report said the BCB will lose the participation fee paid to each team, and also warned of broader revenue implications. According to figures cited, ICC revenue distributions form a significant share of the BCB’s annual budget, and additional losses could follow if World Cup-linked sponsorship commitments are affected by the team’s absence.
The episode also underscores how quickly off-field factors can reshape a global tournament. Even when a board and players wish to participate, a travel refusal based on security assessment can force the ICC to move swiftly to protect the integrity of the competition. With Scotland now slotted in, attention turns to squad preparation, scheduling logistics and the competitive balance in Group C.