Shortly after the ICC officially announced Scotland as Bangladesh's replacement for T20 World Cup 2026, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi called for a press conference where he revealed that Pakistan's participation for the tournament is not guaranteed. Naqvi stated that the final call would made depending on what the Pakistan government decides.
Naqvi's statement has come as a bombshell, which hints at two potential team withdrawals from a World Cup, something that has never happened in the history of the game. The latest T20 World Cup fixtures featuring Scotland have been rolled out with the team taking Bangladesh's spot in Group C. However, social media is buzzing with a freak idea.
If Pakistan does pull out of the tournament, can the ICC then bring back Bangladesh as a replacement? Logically, it would be the perfect solution for the BCB who have wanted the matches to be relocated from India. Given that Pakistan's matches are all scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka, including the Super 8s and knockouts if they get there, this would be the ideal scenario for Bangladesh.
But, is this solution really possible? Logically, it might seem the perfect ending for Bangladesh but the ICC is unlikely to revoke their cancellation of the team. Yes, Bangladesh's primary concern was security and that's why they wanted their matches to be played in Sri Lanka, instead of India. The ICC's security advisory team, though, had stated that the threat to security in India is quite low.
Logically, another withdrawal from the tournament would put Uganda in line, given that they are the next higher ranked side (21st spot) in the rankings. They ended up fifth in their regional World Cup qualifiers, behind Kenya and Tanzania but both these sides are ranked much lower in the list.
Hence, a pullout by Pakistan would mean a potential replacement with the next highest-ranked side. So, Uganda are the likely side to make it to T20 World Cup 2026, even though the possibility of Bangladesh making a shocking return would be explosive news and box office stuff on social media.
Also, a backout by Pakistan at this stage would mean a potential suspension from ICC, given that their demands of a neutral venue were already met. Pakistan and PCB have no sound reason to backout, except politics, and that could land them in big trouble.