Former Pakistani cricket team captain, Shahid Afridi, expressed his disappointment over the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The cricketer, in a tweet, highlighted the ICC’s double standards, saying, “It accepted India’s security concerns for not touring Pakistan in 2025, yet appears unwilling to apply the same understanding to Bangladesh.”
Afridi showed support for the Bangladesh cricket team, saying, “Bangladesh’s players and millions of its fans deserve respect – not mixed standards. The ICC should build bridges, not burn them.”
As a former international cricketer who has played in Bangladesh and in ICC events, I’m deeply disappointed by today's 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.…
— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) January 24, 2026
It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan will participate in the World Cup, however, their matches will be played in Sri Lanka.
The team’s first match is on February 7th against the Netherlands, and the Pak vs Ind match is on February 15th.
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a 15-member national squad for the ICC T20 World Cup. As per the announcement, Salman Ali Agha will be the captain.
The ICC T20 World Cup matches will be played from February 7 to March 8.
In the 20-team tournament, each team is set to play four group games before the Super Eight and Knockout Stage, all between 7 February and 8 March.
