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T20 World Cup 2026; Scotland will mostly play in Kolkata – three games- and one in Mumbai. (Cricket Scotland)
Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade said that the team sympathizes with Bangladesh for getting ousted from the T20 World Cup, adding this is now how they wanted to compete in the showpiece event, set to begin from February 7.
“We certainly have for the Bangladesh team,” Lindblade said when asked if she had sympathy for the side they had replaced. “Obviously, this is not how we wanted to go to a World Cup. There is a qualification process and nobody wants to qualify or attend or be invited to a World Cup in the way that we have done. We acknowledge it is certainly unique circumstances by our participation, and we do feel for the Bangladesh players,” Lindblade said to ESPNCricinfo.
“We are a team that is ranked 14th in the world. We are also a strong team that plays consistently throughout the year. That World Cup [qualifier] for us was not how we normally play, and therefore we are just pleased to be at this World Cup… We are happy to step in, although it is unique and challenging circumstances and we absolutely recognise that,” she added.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that they will be replaced by Scotland in the T20 World Cup.
The ICC’s decision came after the Bangladesh government reiterated that its players would not play in India, and asked for their matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka. The world body has asked Scotland to prepare their team to replace Bangladesh in the tournament.
BCB president Aminul Islam and the country’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul had repeatedly cited ‘security concerns’ as reasons for their demand – a claim categorically rejected by the ICC. A 24-hour ultimatum was given to the BCB and the formal information was conveyed on Friday evening, stating Bangladesh’s exclusion from the tournament.
The call was taken after a decision by the ICC Board, where only Pakistan supported Bangladesh’s stand. The Board noted that it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardise the sanctity of future ICC events and undermine its neutrality.
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