“Bangladesh has made a very big mistake” - Madan Lal slams Bangladesh after pulling out of T20 World Cup

Former Indian cricketer Madan Lal defended the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the forthcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, terming it a "very good decision".

Furthermore, the former cricketer also alleged that Pakistan influenced Bangladesh's decision to pull out of the campaign, citing security concerns, and stated that Scotland will benefit from the opportunity, gaining a lot of exposure.

"ICC has taken a very good decision. Pakistan also misguided them (Bangladesh). Now this is a very big opportunity for Scotland as they will get a lot of exposure. Bangladesh has made a very big mistake," Madan Lal told ANI.

On Saturday, January 24, the ICC announced that Scotland would officially replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, following Bangladesh’s decision not to participate in the tournament.

"The decision follows an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India," the ICC statement read.

"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,” the statement added.

"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 ICC’s assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or 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 statement concluded.

Scotland is the next-highest-ranked T20I team that had originally missed T20 World Cup qualification, currently ranked 14th in the latest ICC Men’s T20I team rankings.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at BetBarter and download the BetBarter app to start betting today!