Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 20: With the reported “deadline” of January 21 for the Bangladesh Cricket Board to decide on the participation in the coming T20 World Cup approaching, the Bangladesh interim government on Tuesday indicated that it was not willing to send its team to play matches in India.
In the face of the reports suggesting that the Bangladesh team could be removed by the International Cricket Council (ICC), Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Adviser, was asked about the ‘deadline and potential replacement’ of Bangladesh by Scotland, he clarified that the country was not willing to budge on its demands to shift its matches from India to Sri Lanka.
Nazrul was asked about Bangladesh’s stand on the eve of the January 21st deadline. He said the ICC hasn’t formally informed them of potential exclusion from the tournament. “We can’t be forced to play in India with unreasonable and unrealistic pressure. Haven’t heard formally that they will exclude us and take Scotland instead. If ICC bows to BCCI and puts pressure on us, if they put unrealistic demands, we will not accept. There have been examples where India has refused to travel to Pakistan, ICC changed the venue. We have asked for venue change, for a logical reason. They can’t force us to play in India by exerting undue and unreasonable pressure,” Nazrul said in a press conference on Tuesday.
A couple of rounds of meetings have taken place between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) since the controversy broke. The top body has reportedly given an ultimatum to BCB to give their final decision on whether they will send the Bangladesh cricket team to India or not for the upcoming ICC World Cup by January 21. If the BCB refuses to send its team to India, the ICC is likely to name a replacement, and, as per the current rankings, it could be Scotland.
The T20 World Cup will start on February 7. Bangladesh are scheduled to open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. They will next face Italy on February 9 at the same venue, then be pitted against the 2022 T20 World Cup champions, England, in Kolkata and will conclude their group-stage campaign with a clash against Nepal on February 17 in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources have denied of any move by Pakistan to boycott the T20 World Cup if the ICC did not concede Bangladesh’s demand for shifting its matches to Sri Lanka. A source close to the PCB said Pakistan have not taken any official stance when it comes to the ongoing controversy. “Nope, this is not the PCB’s stand. Pakistan don’t have any ground to do so, for the ICC would tell the PCB that they are already playing their matches in Sri Lanka. People just float such things to fire up the issue,” the source said.
Earlier, media reports claimed that Bangladesh reached out to Pakistan for their support in the ongoing issue and even received positive response from Islamabad. However, with less than three weeks to go for the competition, it is highly unlikely that Pakistan will take any drastic steps regarding their participation.
The ICC had asked the BCB to decide on its participation in the T20 World Cup in India by January 21 or “risk being replaced by another team” in the tournament beginning February 7. Despite the back and forth between ICC and BCB, no solution has been found to the crisis that was triggered by the removal of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 Indian Premier League on BCCI’s instructions for unspecified “developments all around.”
“The BCB officials have been told to decide on the participation by January 21. If they refuse to travel to India, then they should be ready to be replaced by another team as per rankings,” an ICC source had said. Citing security concerns and national pride, the BCB has announced that its national team won’t be travelling to India for its group games in Kolkata and Mumbai.
However, with the event schedule already finalised, the ICC has shown reluctance to shift Bangladesh’s games to co-host Sri Lanka, where the marquee India-Pakistan clash will be held as per the mutually agreed arrangement for ICC events till 2027.
In case Bangladesh continue to be unyielding, the replacement team would most likely be Scotland based on current rankings. Bangladesh are scheduled to play three leagues games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. The BCB has remained adamant on either a change of venue or a change of groups to facilitate its games in Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh are currently placed in Group C along with the West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal. In their last meeting with ICC officials in Dhaka, the BCB proposed that Bangladesh be swapped with Ireland in Group B alongside Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman and Zimbabwe. Reports suggest that if Bangladesh refuses to play the World Cup in India, Scotland might be given the opportunity to join the tournament in their place. During the last meeting, Bangladesh demanded a group change, moving from Group C to Group B, so they could play their matches in Sri Lanka.
Media reports, however, said the ICC has not made any contact with Cricket Scotland regarding this matter. Cricket Scotland officials have also stated they have not spoken to the ICC out of “respect for the Bangladesh Cricket Board.” Notably, in 2009, when the Zimbabwe team pulled out of the T20 World Cup held in England, Scotland was given the chance to participate.
The ICC may also take the option of awarding points to the opposing teams if the BCB refused to take the fields. This happened during the 1996 World Cup when Australia and the West Indies refused to travel to Sri Lanka due to security concerns. The ICC could concede to the BCB’s demand to change groups. Bangladesh is currently in Group C, where all matches are scheduled in India. They wish to move to Group B, where matches are being held in Sri Lanka. However, deciding which team from Group B would be swapped out would not be an easy decision.
Tournament Groupings
Group C: Bangladesh, England, Italy, Nepal, West Indies
Group B: Australia, Ireland, Oman, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
Group A: India, Namibia, Netherlands, Pakistan, USA
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, UAE
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