‘We do feel for Bangladesh players’: Scotland admit T20 WC entry was ‘far from ideal’

NEW DELHI: Cricket Scotland main enforcement Trudy Lindblade has expressed sympathy for Bangladesh aft the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed Scotland arsenic their replacement for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, portion admitting the circumstances of their qualification were acold from ideal.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.SUBSCRIBE NOW! “We surely person (sympathy) for the Bangladesh team,” Lindblade said, arsenic quoted by ESPNcricinfo, aft the ICC removed Bangladesh from the tourney scheduled to beryllium played from February 7 to March 8 successful Sri Lanka and India.

“Obviously, this is not however we wanted to spell to a World Cup. There is simply a qualification process, and cipher wants to suffice oregon be oregon beryllium invited to a World Cup successful the mode that we person done.

We admit it is surely unsocial circumstances by our participation, and we bash consciousness for the Bangladesh players,” she added.Bangladesh were removed from the 20-team lawsuit aft the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to enactment nether the published lucifer schedule. The ICC rejected the BCB’s petition to determination Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka, stating determination was nary credible oregon verifiable information menace to the Bangladesh nationalist squad successful India.

Responding to disapproval astir Scotland’s inclusion, Lindblade struck a measured tone. “I wouldn't usage those words. People volition person their views, and they are entitled to their views,” she said. “All we cognize is that we person been invited to enactment successful the World Cup. We are a squad that is ranked 14th successful the world. We are besides a beardown squad that plays consistently passim the year.”

Reflecting connected Scotland’s failed qualification campaign, she added, “That World Cup [qualifier] for america was not however we usually play, and truthful we are conscionable pleased to beryllium astatine this World Cup.

We are blessed to measurement in, though it is unsocial and challenging circumstances, and we perfectly recognise that.”In its authoritative release, the ICC said it undertook an extended process implicit much than 3 weeks to code BCB’s concerns, including aggregate rounds of dialogue, autarkic information assessments, and sharing elaborate national and state-level information plans. After the BCB failed to corroborate participation, the ICC moved to place a replacement successful enactment with governance and qualification processes.Scotland, ranked 14th successful T20Is, are the highest-ranked squad not to person primitively qualified, sitting supra 7 teams already successful the tournament, and volition present instrumentality their spot connected the satellite stage.