No talks between ICC and Scotland over replacing Bangladesh

Scotland and the International Cricket Council have not discussed replacing Bangladesh at the men’s T20 World Cup in the coming months, but Scottish players would be prepared if the opportunity came.

Due to political unrest between the two nations, Bangladesh has requested that their matches be moved to another country and have informed the ICC that they will not play at the T20 World Cup in India in the coming month.

In the event that the ICC decides to replace them, Scotland would be in position to take the place of them in the tournament because they are the highest-ranked team not competing in it.

However, BBC Sport has been informed that at this time Cricket Scotland has not contacted them to inquire about stepping in.

In contrast to their counterparts at the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Scottish cricket officials do not intend to speak with the world’s governing body.

Scotland’s place at the 2026 T20 World Cup was eliminated as a result of their fourth-place finish in the Europe Qualifier last summer, with the Netherlands and Italy securing the two regional spots.

However, Scotland’s players are currently back in training as they get ready for a one-day international tri-series against Namibia and Oman in Windhoek in March.

By Wednesday, it has been reported that Bangladesh will have the final decision regarding their participation in the T20 World Cup and their willingness to travel to India.

In the event that a team withdraws or is kicked out of the tournament, BBC Sport has contacted the ICC for clarifications on the selection criteria.

Due to political reasons, Zimbabwe withdrew from the 2009 T20 World Cup in England, and Scotland, the “next best,” team, won the pre-tournament global qualifying competition.

However, the ICC has discretionary discretion as to whether to accept T20 World Cup qualifying, which were expanded to 20 teams in 2024.

In the ICC T20 rankings, Scotland is currently 14th.

Bangladesh’s matches might be moved to a less politically sensitive region of the country or to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka.

The ICC was informed by ESPNCricinfo that the BCB had requested that Ireland and the ICC play all of their games in Sri Lanka.