Wanted to play T20 World Cup, but we had to follow Bangladesh governments instructions: BCB director
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Abdur Razzak said the board wanted the Bangladesh men's national team to take part in the T20 World Cup 2026, but they had to follow the government's orders.
After Bangladesh were removed from the T20 World Cup 2026 and replaced by Scotland in Group C of the tournament on Saturday, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Abdur Razzak said the board wanted the team to play the tournament. However, he insisted they were bound by the Bangladesh government's orders.
ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026 after the BCB refused to change its stance on not sending the team to India for the tournament. Bangladesh had refused to travel to India and urged ICC to shift their matches to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.
However, BCB's request was turned down by the ICC after the world body conducted its own security assessment of the venues which will host matches in the T20 World Cup 2026. The governing body said there was no credible or verifiable security threat for Bangladesh team in India.
ICC also made it clear that it was not possible for them to change the schedule with only weeks left for the tournament to start. The ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland a couple of days after the ICC Board voted in favour of having another team take Bangladesh's place in the tournament if they didn't travel to India.
Following Bangladesh's ouster from the T20 World Cup 2026, BCB director Razzak said the board wanted the team to play the tournament in India, but they couldn't do anything after the Bangladesh refused clearance.
"We have always said that we want to play, but this is the government’s decision. So we have to follow whatever the government tells us. And the decision that has been given by the government is not just for this time; whenever we have any tour, we have to get clearance from the government beforehand,” said the BCB director.
Scotland gear up to travel to India for T20 World Cup 2026
Scotland were picked to replace Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2026 based on their current rankings. They are ranked 14th in T20I team rankings and were the highest ranked side, who were not part of the tournament. Scotland's past performances in the tournament also reportedly played a role in their selection.
Cricket Scotland expressed its gratitude to ICC in a special letter, acknowledging the special circumstances that led to the opportunity of them taking part in the tournament. Scotland revealed they are planning to travel to India immediately to get acclimatized to the conditions ahead of the tournament, which starts on February 07.