No credible threat at any venue: ICC's reason behind Bangladesh's omission

The International Cricket Council (ICC), after announcing Scotland as the replacement for Bangladesh in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday, clarified that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to play its scheduled matches in India, despite multiple security assessments finding no credible threat at any of the tournament venues, which was the main reason behind their omission from the tournament. 

The decision was taken during an ICC Board meeting held via video conference, convened specifically to address the uncertainty surrounding Bangladesh’s participation. The meeting followed a request from the BCB to relocate Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka.

After reviewing all available inputs, the ICC Board unanimously agreed that the tournament would proceed as scheduled, with matches remaining in India.

According to the ICC, several layers of security reviews were conducted, including independent assessments, all of which concluded that there was no threat to the safety of Bangladesh players, officials, media personnel, or fans at any of the designated venues in India.

The ICC also shared detailed, venue-specific security plans with the BCB, outlining coordinated federal and state law enforcement arrangements put in place for the tournament.

The ICC Board noted that making last-minute changes to the schedule, in the absence of any verified security risk, was not feasible. Officials stressed that altering fixtures so close to the tournament would have serious logistical consequences for teams, broadcasters, and fans worldwide.

More importantly, the ICC warned that agreeing to such a request without objective justification could set a damaging precedent, potentially undermining the neutrality, consistency, and integrity of future ICC events.

In a strongly worded statement, an ICC spokesperson revealed that the BCB continued to link its participation to an “isolated and unrelated” issue involving one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league. The ICC maintained that this matter had no relevance to the World Cup’s security framework or participation conditions.

The spokesperson added that all 20 teams are governed by the same terms of participation, and venue decisions are based strictly on objective threat assessments and host guarantees.

The ICC said it had engaged in sustained and constructive dialogue with the BCB over several weeks in an effort to resolve the impasse and enable Bangladesh’s participation. However, with no independent security findings supporting relocation, the governing body said it had no option but to move forward.

Reaffirming its stance, the ICC stated it remains committed to acting in good faith, applying consistent standards across all member nations, and safeguarding the collective interests of the global game.