Edinburgh [Scotland], January 26 (ANI): Cricket Scotland's chief executive, Trudy Lindblade, expressed her sympathy for Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council (ICC) removed Bangladesh and added Scotland to the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, starting February 7 in Sri Lanka and India.

'We certainly have (sympathy) for the Bangladesh team,' Trudy Lindblade said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

'Obviously, this is not how we wanted to go to a World Cup. There is a qualification process, and nobody wants to qualify or attend or be invited to a World Cup in the way that we have done. We acknowledge it is certainly unique circumstances by our participation, and we do feel for the Bangladesh players,' she added.

When asked about receiving criticism after qualifying for the T20 World Cup, Lindblade said, 'I wouldn't use those words. People will have their views, and they are entitled to their views. All we know is that we have been invited to participate in the World Cup. We are a team that is ranked 14th in the world. We are also a strong team that plays consistently throughout the year.

'That World Cup [qualifier] for us was not how we normally play, and therefore we are just pleased to be at this World Cup... We are happy to step in, although it is unique and challenging circumstances, and we absolutely recognise that,' she added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, following the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) refusal to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.

The announcement came after the ICC, in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India, rejected the BCB's demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, in the 20-team tournament to be played from February 7 to March 8, a release said.

The decision followed an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India. Over a period of more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both via video conference and in-person.

As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board, the release said.

The ICC's assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, its officials, or its 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 ICC also noted the importance of preserving the integrity and sanctity of the tournament schedule, safeguarding the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoiding the establishment of precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of ICC events.

Following its Wednesday meeting, the IBC Board requested that the BCB confirm, within 24 hours, whether Bangladesh would participate in the tournament as scheduled. As no confirmation was received within the stipulated deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.

Scotland is the highest-ranked T20I side not to originally qualify for the tournament. They are currently ranked 14th, ahead of seven teams already in the tournament: Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States of America (USA), Canada, Oman and Italy. (ANI)