Scotland Replaces Bangladesh in T20 World Cup After Security Row

Bangladesh had sought to move their group-stage fixtures from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns in the wake of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman being released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. But ICC's decision ends weeks of uncertainty after the BCB repeatedly pressed for a venue change and even suggested swapping groups with Ireland.

In a statement, ICC said independent assessments found no credible threat to the team's safety. With the tournament set to begin on February 7, the governing body said it was not feasible to alter Bangladesh's fixtures at such short notice.

ICC officials, including chairman Jay Shah, met in Dubai on Friday before formally deciding on Saturday to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the mega event. "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.

"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 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. Following a meeting on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had been given a 24-hour timeframe to confirm whether its team would participate in India as scheduled.

As no confirmation was received within the deadline, the ICC "proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team," said ICC in its statement.

Scotland will now take Bangladesh's place in Group C alongside England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies. The side comes into the upcoming T20 World Cup as the next-highest ranked T20I team that had originally missed the qualification for the tournament, where they finished atinourth place.

Scotland are currently ranked 14th, which in fact is ahead of competing teams Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman, and Italy. Scotland will begin their campaign against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 7. Interestingly, Scotland had played the 2009 T20 World Cup in England after Zimbabwe pulled out of the tournament due to political reasons.

- IANS