T20 World Cup drama: Last time Bangladesh was at the centre of an ICC event row, it led to a team replacement | Cricket News

Bangladesh cricketers (AP Photo)

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is just two weeks away, and the controversy over the participation of the Bangladesh cricket team in the tournament remains unresolved. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday categorically announced, after a meeting with the country’s sports advisor and national team cricketers in Dhaka, that under no circumstances would it send the team to India to play matches, while blaming the International Cricket Council (ICC) for denying them “justice”.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The entire cricketing world is now waiting for the ICC’s next move. The global governing body had already voted on Wednesday against Bangladesh’s request for a venue shift to co-host Sri Lanka, while issuing a 24-hour ultimatum to the BCB.

With the BCB virtually out of the tournament due to its defiant stand, the ICC now has to kickstart its contingency plan for the mega event sooner rather than later. Scotland has emerged as the frontrunner to play the World Cup in place of Bangladesh, with the ICC expected to make it official soon.What began as a controversy has turned into a never-ending drama since Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders were asked by the BCCI to release star Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad without any “specific” reason amid growing tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Bangladesh reacted immediately, deciding not to send its team to India for the T20 World Cup, while also banning the broadcast of the IPL in the country.

Since then, a tussle between the ICC and the BCB over the venue shift has continued, and with the tournament just around the corner, a final decision is expected soon. Despite standing firm on its refusal to travel to India — where Bangladesh are scheduled to play all three group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai — the BCB has not formally announced its withdrawal from the tournament, leaving room for manoeuvre. However, any change in the ICC’s stance on altering the schedule so close to the event appears unlikely.If Scotland is officially announced as a replacement, would it be unprecedented? No. There have been precedents in past ICC events.

An entire team getting replaced by another for an ICC event is a rare occurance, and the last time Bangladesh were involved in such row was a decade back when they hosted the Under-19 World Cup in 2016.Australia withdrew from the ICC U19 World Cup in Bangladesh and were replaced by Ireland. The seeds of the withdrawal were sown a year earlier, when Australia pulled out of a bilateral series citing security concerns. With the situation not improving, Australia decided to stay away from the tournament.Australia’s official line at the time was that the “threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh” remained high. The ICC termed the decision “disappointing” before naming Ireland as the replacement. West Indies went on to win their maiden U19 World Cup title, beating India by five wickets in the final in Dhaka.

Before that, the 2009 T20 World Cup in England also saw a replacement team. The backdrop dated back to the 2003 ODI World Cup co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, where England and New Zealand forfeited matches in Zimbabwe and Kenya respectively due to political and security concerns.In 2009, visa issues and political tensions again put Zimbabwe’s participation in doubt. Eventually, Zimbabwe withdrew with full participation fees, and Scotland were named as the replacement. Pakistan went on to win the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by eight wickets in the final at Lord’s.