NEW DELHI: Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade has expressed sympathy for Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed Scotland as their replacement for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, while admitting the circumstances of their qualification were far from ideal.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.SUBSCRIBE NOW! “We certainly have (sympathy) for the Bangladesh team,” Lindblade said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, after the ICC removed Bangladesh from the tournament scheduled to be played from February 7 to March 8 in Sri Lanka and India.
“Obviously, this is not how we wanted to go to a World Cup. There is a qualification process, and nobody wants to qualify or attend or be invited to a World Cup in the way that we have done. We acknowledge it is certainly unique circumstances by our participation, and we do feel for the Bangladesh players,” she added.Bangladesh were removed from the 20-team event after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate under the published match schedule. The ICC rejected the BCB’s request to move Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka, stating there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India.Responding to criticism around Scotland’s inclusion, Lindblade struck a measured tone. “I wouldn’t use those words. People will have their views, and they are entitled to their views,” she said. “All we know is that we have been invited to participate in the World Cup. We are a team that is ranked 14th in the world. We are also a strong team that plays consistently throughout the year.”
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Reflecting on Scotland’s failed qualification campaign, she added, “That World Cup [qualifier] for us was not how we normally play, and therefore we are just pleased to be at this World Cup. We are happy to step in, although it is unique and challenging circumstances, and we absolutely recognise that.”In its official release, the ICC said it undertook an extensive process over more than three weeks to address BCB’s concerns, including multiple rounds of dialogue, independent security assessments, and sharing detailed federal and state-level security plans. After the BCB failed to confirm participation, the ICC moved to identify a replacement in line with governance and qualification processes.Scotland, ranked 14th in T20Is, are the highest-ranked team not to have originally qualified, sitting above seven teams already in the tournament, and will now take their place on the world stage.
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