ICC replaces Bangladesh with Scotland in T20 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has dropped Bangladesh from the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup and inducted Scotland as a replacement after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send its team to India citing security concerns, sources said.
The decision was taken at an ICC Board meeting following Bangladesh’s repeated insistence that their matches be shifted out of India. The BCB had proposed hosting their games in Sri Lanka and even suggested swapping groups with Ireland, a proposal that was categorically rejected by the Irish Cricket Board.
According to sources, the ICC Board voted overwhelmingly in favour of Bangladesh travelling to India to fulfil their fixtures. The ICC subsequently gave the BCB a 24-hour deadline to confirm its participation, but the board failed to formally communicate its decision within the stipulated time.
Top ICC officials, including chairman Jay Shah, were in Dubai on January 23, when the decision was finalised. Later in the evening, the ICC informed BCB chairman Aminul Islam Bulbul via email that Bangladesh had been dropped from the tournament.
“An email was sent to the BCB chairman informing him that the board did not officially respond within the 24-hour deadline. As per protocol, Bangladesh has been replaced by Scotland,” an ICC source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The ICC also separately informed all participating member nations about the change.
Bangladesh Sports Ministry advisor Asif Nazrul had earlier advised against the national team travelling to India, citing security concerns, despite repeated assurances from the ICC. A mandatory independent security assessment reportedly rated the threat perception for Bangladesh as “low to moderate”, similar to other participating teams.
Scotland will now play their group-stage matches against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 in Kolkata, followed by a match against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.
In a last-ditch effort, the BCB had approached the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), but sources said the committee does not have jurisdiction to hear appeals against decisions taken by the ICC Board.
The decision is expected to have significant financial implications for the BCB. The board stands to lose a participation fee of USD 500,000 and could also face a reduction in its annual ICC revenue share, which reportedly accounts for nearly 60 per cent of its yearly budget. Additional losses are anticipated due to missed sponsorship opportunities and the absence of future bilateral series.
Sources said the only legal option available to the BCB is to approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, though the tournament will proceed as scheduled.