Bangladesh out, Scotland in: Bangladesh will miss the T20 World Cup after the BCB refused to send the team to India over security concerns, with Scotland replacing them
ICC decision enforced: 14-2 vote, BCB misses 24-hour deadline, officially replaced
Financial hit: Loss of participation fee, ICC revenue, sponsorship, and potential series earnings
Bangladesh will miss the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, with Scotland set to replace them after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to send the team to India, citing security concerns following Mustafizur Rahman’s exit from the IPL.
The ICC’s decision ends weeks of uncertainty. The BCB had repeatedly requested their matches be moved to Sri Lanka and even suggested swapping groups with Ireland, a proposal that the Irish board quickly rejected.
According to reports, Bangladesh found little support at the ICC Board meeting, where a 14-2 vote ruled that the ‘Tigers’ must travel to India for their fixtures.
The ICC gave the BCB a 24-hour deadline, but with adviser Asif Nazrul refusing to budge, Bangladesh’s World Cup hopes were dashed.
Top ICC officials, including chairman Jay Shah, were in Dubai on Friday when a late-evening email was sent to BCB chairman Aminul Islam Bulbul informing him that Bangladesh had been removed from the event.
“An email was sent last evening to the BCB chairman stating that the board failed to officially communicate its decision within the 24-hour deadline,” an ICC source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
“Instead of replying to the ICC, the BCB held a press conference in Dhaka, which violated protocol. They were informed they were being replaced, Scotland will now take part in the World Cup.”
The ICC also separately notified all participating nations of Bangladesh’s removal.
Despite repeated assurances from the ICC and an independent security assessment rating the threat level as ‘low to moderate’, the same as for all teams, Nazrul, described as an anti-India hardliner and representative of the interim government, instructed that Bangladesh could not travel to India.
A meeting between Nazrul and senior players reportedly turned into a one-way briefing, with the adviser informing the squad they would not be allowed to participate.
Scotland will now take Bangladesh’s place, facing West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 in Kolkata, before meeting Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.
In a last-ditch effort, the BCB approached the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee, unaware that the body has no authority to overturn decisions made by the ICC Board.
Heavy Financial Blow For BCB
The ouster will hit the BCB hard. Bangladesh will forfeit the USD 500,000 participation fee and face potential losses to its annual ICC revenue share, which amounts to nearly USD 27 million (around BDT 330 crore), roughly 60% of the board’s operating budget.
Sponsorship revenues linked to the tournament will also be lost. Additionally, with India unlikely to tour Bangladesh for a bilateral series, the BCB risks missing earnings equivalent to hosting around ten bilateral series.
The only legal option left for the BCB is to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, but the World Cup will proceed regardless.
