Second Nation Issues Statement on Pulling Out of T20 World Cup as Bangladesh Removed
A second nation has released a statement over their participation in the upcoming men's T20 World Cup after Bangladesh were removed by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The tournament, which gets underway next month, will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh refused to play their group matches in India amid rising political tensions between the two countries, and submitted a formal request to the ICC to play in Sri Lanka instead over safety concerns.
However, that request was turned down by cricket's lead governing body on Wednesday.
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In a statement, the ICC said: "It was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardise the sanctity of future ICC events."
It was subsequently announced on Saturday that the ICC had replaced Bangladesh in the tournament over their continued refusal to play matches in India.
They have been replaced by Scotland, who join England, West Indies, Nepal and Italy in Group C.
According to ESPNcricinfo, an ICC members' board meeting was held earlier this week, in which 14 of the 15 directors voted in favour of Bangladesh being replaced by another nation if their stance on playing in India did not change.
It was understood that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was the only ICC member who voted in support of Bangladesh.
Pakistan will play all of their T20 World Cup games outside of India due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries.
While they did travel to India to play in ICC events in 2016 and 2023, India haven't played in Pakistan since 2008.
Before the 2025 Champions Trophy, hosted by Pakistan, India informed the ICC that they would not travel - albeit over three months before the tournament started - and subsequently played all of their games, including their victorious final, in Dubai.
PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also a federal minister in the Pakistan government, has now refused to rule out the prospect of Pakistan pulling out of the 2026 T20 World Cup - though insists the final decision lies with the country's Prime Minister.
He has also accused the ICC of 'double standards' over their decision on Bangladesh.
"Our stance [on playing in the World Cup] will be what the government of Pakistan instructs me," Naqvi has stated.
"The Prime Minister is not in Pakistan right now. When he returns, I'll be able to give you a final decision.
"It's the government's decision. We obey them, not the ICC."
"I think Bangladesh has been hard done by," he continued. "You can't have double standards.
"You can't say for one country [India] they can do what they want and for the others to have to do the complete opposite. That's why we've taken this stand, and made clear Bangladesh have had an injustice done to them.
"They should play in the World Cup, they are a major stakeholder in world cricket."
SPORTbible have approached the International Cricket Council and Pakistan Cricket Board for comment.
Topics: Cricket
Ryan Smart