New Delhi: The International Cricket Council has formally included Scotland in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, replacing Bangladesh, after the latter declined to confirm participation in India within the stipulated deadline.
The decision was taken by ICC chairman Jay Shah along with senior officials at a meeting in Dubai. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chairman Aminul Islam Bulbul was informed of the decision through an official email late on Thursday.
An ICC official said the BCB failed to respond formally within the 24-hour window given by the global body to confirm whether the Bangladesh team would travel to India for the tournament. “Since Bangladesh did not confirm participation and reiterated its refusal to play in India, Scotland has been inducted as the replacement team,” the official said.
Scotland will now play four 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.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had written to the ICC’s independent Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), seeking intervention to shift its World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC made it clear that the matter did not fall under the DRC’s jurisdiction and would not be taken up for hearing.
A BCB official had said that if the DRC ruled against Bangladesh, the only remaining option would be to approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
Bangladesh had earlier cited security concerns for its players as the reason for refusing to travel to India. The country’s interim government and sports affairs adviser Asif Nazrul had publicly stated that the team would not tour India.
Tensions between the two cricket boards had escalated further after senior Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, adding to diplomatic and sporting strain between the two countries.
