Bangladesh were excluded from the T20 World Cup, which was to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, after they refused to play their matches in India due to security concerns. The BCB had attempted to move their fixtures to Sri Lanka, a request the ICC rejected after extensive consultation and independent safety assessments. With no credible security threat identified, the ICC confirmed Scotland as Bangladesh’s replacement.
Speaking at a T20 World Cup promotional event, Rhodes acknowledged that while administrators often hope to keep politics out of the sport, this is not always possible. Drawing on his own experiences during apartheid South Africa, Rhodes noted that sports sanctions had once played a role in driving political change.
“I mean, you always think, let’s keep politics out of sports… but unfortunately you can’t separate politics and sports,” he said.
In T20 cricket, one player can change the game in 10 minutes: Rhodes
He further explained that the shortest format levels the playing field, allowing teams like Bangladesh to challenge bigger teams.
“The T20 World Cup now has 20 teams. I love what the ICC is doing, organizing a tournament with 20 teams. I live in India five months a year, so I am looking forward to the World Cup being held at my home. Who will win and who will reach the semi-finals is very difficult to predict. In T20 cricket, one player can change the game in ten minutes,” Rhodes added.
Meanwhile, the ICC has detailed the process behind its decision, revealing that it had been in discussions with the BCB for more than three weeks through video conferencing and face-to-face meetings. The governing body ordered multiple safety assessments and shared detailed operational plans regarding federal and state-level arrangements in India. Despite repeated assurances, the BCB was not convinced and did not reverse its position within the ICC deadline. Scotland were then called up as Bangladesh’s replacement, as they were the highest ranked team outside the original qualifying list.
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