KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi and Australian all-rounder Jason Gillespie have criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) over security-related decisions, particularly the exclusion of Bangladesh from the ICC tournament.
On social media platform X, Afridi expressed his disappointment, drawing comparisons between India’s refusal to tour Pakistan in 2025 and the current situation involving Bangladesh.
“As a former international cricketer who played in Bangladesh and ICC events, I am very disappointed with the inconsistency of the ICC today. It has accepted India’s security concerns for not touring Pakistan in 2025 but is unwilling to apply the same understanding to Bangladesh,” Afridi said.
He emphasized that consistency in decision-making is essential to maintain confidence in international cricket’s governing body, urging the ICC to treat all member nations with equal respect.
“The bedrock of global cricket governance is consistency and integrity. Bangladesh’s players and its millions of fans deserve respect – not mixed standards. The ICC should build bridges, not burn them,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gillespie openly questioned the ICC’s handling of the situation, clarifying the decision that led to Bangladesh’s exclusion from the tournament.
“Is there an explanation from the ICC why Bangladesh cannot play outside India?” Gillespie questioned.
Compared to the previous ICC tournament, Pakistan’s former red-ball head coach pointed out what he described as a stark contrast in the governing body’s approach, recalling how special arrangements were given to India in the past.
“From memory, India refused to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan and was allowed to play those games outside Pakistan. Can anyone understand this,” he added.
Notably, the ICC on Saturday officially announced that Bangladesh will replace Bangladesh in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 scheduled to be played between February 7 and March 8 in India and Sri Lanka.
The governing body confirmed the development in a brief statement after rejecting Bangladesh’s request to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka due to the lack of a credible or verifiable security threat.
“The ICC has announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” the apex body said.
“It was officially announced on Saturday that Bangladesh will no longer compete in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (PCB) refused to participate in the tournament as per the published schedule.
“Scotland have been drawn to take Bangladesh’s place in Group C, alongside England, Italy, Nepal and the West Indies.
“The announcement comes after the ICC rejected the PCB’s request to shift its matches from India to Sri Lanka in the absence of a credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India.”
As a result, Scotland will replace Bangladesh in Group C to open their 2026 T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against the West Indies on February 7 in Kolkata, where they will play two more group-stage games against Italy on February 9 and England on February 14.
The European team will then travel to Mumbai, where they will face Nepal in their final group-stage match on February 17.
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