Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade expressed sympathy for Bangladesh after the International Cricket Council (ICC) removed the Asian side from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and named Scotland as their replacement.

“We certainly have sympathy for the Bangladesh team,” Lindblade told ESPNcricinfo. “This is obviously not how we wanted to go to a World Cup. There is a qualification process, and nobody wants to qualify or be invited to a World Cup in the way that we have done.

“We acknowledge that these are unique circumstances surrounding our participation, and we genuinely feel for the Bangladesh players,” she added.

Addressing criticism surrounding Scotland’s inclusion, Lindblade said she understood differing opinions but stressed that the decision was not Scotland’s to make.

“I wouldn’t use those words. People will have their views, and they’re entitled to them,” she said. “All we know is that we have been invited to participate in the World Cup. We are ranked 14th in the world and are a strong team that plays consistently throughout the year.

“That qualifier wasn’t how we normally play, so we are pleased to be at this World Cup. We’re happy to step in, even though the circumstances are unique and challenging, and we absolutely recognise that.”

On Saturday, the ICC confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the 20-team tournament, scheduled to be played from February 7 to March 8 in Sri Lanka and India. The decision followed the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) refusal to participate under the published match schedule.

The BCB had sought to move its matches out of India, citing security concerns. However, the ICC rejected the request after determining that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, its officials, or supporters.

According to the ICC, the decision came after an extensive process spanning more than three weeks, during which it held multiple rounds of dialogue with the BCB, including virtual and in-person meetings. Independent security assessments were commissioned, and detailed security and operational plans, including enhanced and escalating protocols were shared at several stages.

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The ICC said it was not appropriate to amend the tournament schedule, citing the need to protect the integrity of the event, ensure fairness to all participating teams, and avoid setting precedents that could undermine the neutrality of ICC tournaments.

Following a meeting of the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board on Wednesday, the BCB was asked to confirm its participation within 24 hours. With no response received within the deadline, the ICC moved ahead with its established governance and qualification procedures to identify a replacement.

Scotland, currently ranked 14th in the ICC T20I rankings, emerged as the highest-ranked team not originally qualified for the World Cup. They are ranked above several teams already in the tournament, including Namibia, the UAE, Nepal, the USA, Canada, Oman and Italy.