Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade has expressed her sympathy for the Bangladesh players following their eleventh-hour removal from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, while detailing the board’s scramble to prepare their own squad for the tournament.
“We certainly have for the Bangladesh team,” Lindblade said. “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.”
Scotland received official confirmation from ICC chief executive Sanjog Gupta on Saturday that they would replace Bangladesh, whose refusal to play matches in India and the ICC’s inability to move fixtures to Sri Lanka left the door open for the 14th-ranked side. Lindblade described the situation as unusual and challenging for the relatively small staff at Cricket Scotland.
“It’s been a really busy couple of days for us,” she said. “In the office today, it is all hands on deck. We’ve got two teams touring, the Under-19 men and the women in Nepal also trying to qualify. Our team is completely inundated with trying to make sure we get our team there, but also we cannot do that without the help of the ICC.”
Asked whether Scotland expected criticism for taking Bangladesh’s place, Lindblade was measured. “I wouldn’t use those words… People will have their views and they are entitled to their views. All we know is that we have been invited to participate in the World Cup. We are a team that is ranked 14th in the world. We are also a strong team that plays consistently throughout the year.”
The board has been working intensively to organise travel, visas, and preparations ahead of warm-up fixtures against Afghanistan and Namibia in Bengaluru on February 2 and 4. Lindblade emphasised that, despite the rushed schedule, Scotland were eager to be competitive.
“That World Cup qualifier for us was not how we normally play, and therefore we are just pleased to be at this World Cup,” she said. “We are happy to step in, although it is unique and challenging circumstances and we absolutely recognise that.”
Scotland will face West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal in Group B, aiming for a top-two finish to progress to the Super 8s stage. Lindblade’s comments underline the unusual nature of their entry, but also the board’s recognition of the difficulties faced by the Bangladeshi team.
