Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf has questioned the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, calling the move “unfair” and raising concerns over the game’s governance. The tournament is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

Taking to his official X account, Yousuf highlighted Bangladesh’s immense commercial and viewership value, arguing that the decision ignores the realities of a sport driven by global audiences. He pointed out that the combined cricket viewership of 10 nations: New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, Nepal, the Netherlands, Ireland, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, roughly equals Bangladesh’s reach alone.

“Those 10 countries together generate around 178 million viewers, while Bangladesh by itself accounts for 176 million,” Yousuf wrote, underlining the scale of the loss caused by Bangladesh’s exclusion.

The former Pakistan batter further criticised the ICC for dismissing Bangladesh’s security concerns, warning that selective accommodation undermines the principle of fairness in the sport. “In a game driven by global audiences, sidelining Bangladesh’s legitimate security concerns raises serious questions about consistency and governance,” he said. “When accommodation becomes selective, fairness disappears. Cricket cannot be administered by influence, only by principle.”

The controversy erupted after the ICC rejected a request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to relocate Bangladesh’s matches outside India. Last Saturday, the governing body confirmed that Bangladesh had been replaced by Scotland, citing logistical difficulties in modifying the schedule so close to the start of the tournament.

In its official statement, the ICC said the decision followed an assessment that found no “credible or verifiable security threat” to the Bangladesh national team in India.

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