'We Do Feel for Bangladesh' - Scotland Chief Reacts to Last-Minute World Cup Invite by ICC

The ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh has not only disappointed global cricket fans but has also taken Cricket Scotland’s chief executive by surprise. Although she is thankful to the ICC for inviting Scotland to participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup, his comments also expressed empathy for Bangladesh.

Speaking about the circumstances under which Scotland were given a last-minute invitation by the ICC, Cricket Scotland chief executive said it was not an ideal situation, as no teams wants to attend a mega event like this.

"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." said Cricket Scotland chief executive, Trudy Lindblade.

She further explained how Cricket Scotland is managing this last-minute call-up by working extensively. It is certainly a tough situation, but the board is hopeful to keep everything on track and move forward swiftly.

"The Cricket Scotland team is just over 30 staff - that's everything from our coaching staff to office staff and our development team - so we're not very big. This is a lot to do also when we've got two teams touring: we've got the [men's] Under-19s currently playing, and we cannot lose focus from our women in Nepal, who also are trying to qualify for a T20 World Cup.” said Trudy Lindblade.

"Our team is completely inundated with trying to make sure we get our team there, but also we can't do that without the help of the ICC. We've been almost working around the clock… There have been messages on a WhatsApp group at all hours of the night. There might be a three-hour window when none of us are working." concluded Trudy Lindblade.