Pakistan Is Misleading Bangladesh: Rajeev Shukla
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla has said that Pakistan has misled Bangladesh, which took a stance to not play the T20 World Cup matches in India over “security concerns” and said that Dhaka was assured of full security and its concerns addressed.
The MP said it is very difficult to change the entire schedule at the last moment, and that’s why Scotland was brought as a replacement for Bangladesh.
“We wanted Bangladesh to play, and we also assured full security, but since they have made this decision, it is very difficult to change the entire schedule at the last moment. This is why Scotland was brought in,” Shukla told ANI.
“Pakistan is intervening in the matter without any reason and provoking Bangladesh… Everyone knows the brutality done by Pakistan on the Bangladeshis, and now they are trying to mislead them, which is completely wrong,” he added.
A day after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman and the country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi indicated that Pakistan could rethink its participation in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka after Bangladesh refused to play in India, Islamabad announced 15-member squad for the tournament.
According to Dawn News, Naqvi had indicated that Pakistan could rethink its participation in the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, following the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) refusal to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.
The announcement came after the ICC, in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India, rejected the BCB’s demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, in the 20-team tournament to be played from February 7 to March 8, a release said.
The decision followed an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India. Over a period of more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both via video conference and in-person.
As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board, the release said.
The ICC’s assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India. In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule. The ICC also noted the importance of preserving the integrity and sanctity of the tournament schedule, safeguarding the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoiding the establishment of precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events.
Following its meeting on Wednesday, the IBC Board requested the BCB to confirm, within a 24-hour timeframe, whether Bangladesh would participate in the tournament as scheduled. As no confirmation was received within the stipulated deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.
Scotland are the highest-ranked T20I side not to originally qualify for the tournament. They are currently ranked 14th, ahead of seven teams already in the tournament: Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States of America (USA), Canada, Oman and Italy. (ANI)
