T20 World Cup row: Shahid Afridi drags India–Pakistan angle, says 'ICC should build bridges, not burn them'

Shahid Afridi has strongly criticised the International Cricket Council following Bangladesh’s removal from the 2026 T20 World Cup, accusing the governing body of applying different standards to different teams. The former Pakistan captain pointed to what he described as the ICC’s “inconsistency”, referencing how India’s concerns during the 2025 Champions Trophy were handled very differently.


Afridi aired his views on social media platform X, highlighting what he believes is unequal treatment of member nations. He recalled how India had cited “security threats” to avoid travelling to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, after which the ICC arranged for India’s matches to be played at a neutral venue in Dubai. India eventually progressed to the final, denying Pakistan the opportunity to host the title clash.



“As a former international cricketer who has played in Bangladesh and in ICC events, I’m deeply disappointed by the ICC’s inconsistency. It accepted India’s security concerns for not touring Pakistan in 2025, yet appears unwilling to apply the same understanding to Bangladesh,” Afridi wrote.

Calling for a level playing field, Afridi emphasised that cricket’s global administrators must treat all nations equally.

“Consistency and fairness are the foundation of global cricket governance. Bangladesh’s players and millions of its fans deserve respect — not mixed standards. The ICC should build bridges, not burn them,” he added.

The ICC confirmed on Saturday that Scotland will take Bangladesh’s place in the upcoming T20 World Cup, describing it as a “difficult decision” after concluding that relocating Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka was not practical with the tournament just weeks away. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had refused to allow its team to travel to India, citing security concerns following Mustafizur Rahman’s exit from the IPL.

Despite those claims, the ICC reiterated that its assessments found no credible or verifiable threat to Bangladesh players, officials or supporters in India, and therefore ruled out any change to the published schedule. Scotland’s inclusion from February 7 brought an end to prolonged uncertainty, during which the BCB had remained firm on its stance and even floated the idea of exchanging its group with Ireland.

During Wednesday’s ICC Board meeting, Bangladesh’s proposal to move fixtures was rejected by a decisive 14–2 vote, with Pakistan the lone supporter.

Announcing the outcome, the ICC said, “Bangladesh will no longer compete in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.” It added, “The decision follows an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India.”

Later, the BCB acknowledged the ruling, admitting there were no further options available. Media committee chairman Amjad Hossain said in Dhaka, “We have tried our best. We fully respect the ICC Board, and the Board’s majority decision was that the match cannot be relocated.”

He continued, “Even after that, we tried in our own way and made requests. Since they will not do it or do not want to, there is nothing more we can do,” before reiterating, “We have accepted the ICC Board’s decision, as the ICC has said that we will not be able to go and play, nor can our match be shifted to Sri Lanka.”

Hossain also confirmed that the board would not pursue further remedies. “In this case, we cannot go to India to play, and our stance remains the same. We are not going into any separate arbitration or any other process here."

Sources indicated that senior ICC officials, including chairman Jay Shah, were in Dubai on Friday, with an email later sent to BCB chairman Aminul Islam Bulbul formally conveying the decision. The ICC reiterated, “The ICC’s assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India.

"In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule," the statement added.

The ICC also revealed it had given Bangladesh a 24-hour deadline to confirm participation. “As no confirmation was received within the deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.”

Scotland, ranked 14th in T20Is, were next in line. “Scotland are the next-highest ranked T20I team that had originally missed T20 World Cup qualification. They are currently ranked 14th, which in fact is ahead of competing teams Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman and Italy.

"Scotland has been called up to take Bangladesh’s place in Group C, joining England, Italy, Nepal and the West Indies."

Scotland will face West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 in Kolkata, before meeting Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.

Behind the scenes, Bangladesh Sports Ministry advisor Asif Nazrul had advised against travelling to India despite repeated ICC assurances. In a last-ditch effort, the BCB also approached the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee, only to discover it could not hear appeals against decisions made by the ICC Board. Although independent security assessments rated the threat level as “low to moderate”, Nazrul, representing the interim government, directed that the team would not travel. A subsequent meeting with players was described as one-sided, with Nazrul informing the squad that they would not be allowed to take part in the tournament.



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