The government of Pakistan decided on Sunday to allow its cricket team participate in the Men’s ICC T20 World Cup 2026 but barred it from playing against India on February 15.

Bangladesh’s decision not to play its 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches in India has raised serious concerns about India’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games, according to a report from The Guardian.

The ICC and the World Cricketers Association (WCA) are locked in a fresh dispute over player terms, including name, image and likeness (NIL) rights, ahead of the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, reports ESPNCricinfo.

Pat Cummins has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup after failing to recover fully from a lingering back injury.

Bangladesh cricket team may have been replaced by Scotland in the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, but two Bangladeshi umpires will be part of the umpiring panel for the 20-team tournament, scheduled to begin on February 7.

The former England opening batter, Mark Butcher, has backed the ICC’s decision to remove Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026 after the latter refused to travel to India due to security concerns.

Despite talks of Pakistan boycotting the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to be held in Sri Lanka and India from February 7 to March 8, reports have emerged that the team has already booked flights to Colombo for the marquee event.

India batter Ajinkya Rahane said Pakistan “does not have the guts” to pull out of the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in Sri Lanka and India from February 7 to March 8.

Sri Lanka will deploy elite armed units to protect teams at next month's T20 World Cup, part of enhanced security measures with a special emphasis on matches between perennial rivals India and Pakistan, officials have told AFP.

Pakistan take on Australia in a three-match Twenty20 international series starting in Lahore from Thursday, despite doubts over their participation in next month's World Cup in cricket's shortest format.

Had everything gone according to plan, this would have been one of Phil Simmons’ busiest periods. He would have travelled with the Bangladesh team to the World Cup venue and begun final preparations ahead of the global tournament.

South Africa great AB de Villiers said that Bangladesh’s exclusion from the upcoming T20 World Cup presents a “bad look” for cricket and that the situation should never have been allowed to reach such a stage.

Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf criticised the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to replace Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to be played in Sri Lanka and India from February 7, questioning its “fairness”.

Liam Dawson, who has been with the England squad at four different World Cups but never played a match, is hoping to make his debut at the global tournament in next month's Twenty20 World Cup at the age of 35.

For Scotland, it was a lifeline. For Bangladesh, it was heartbreak.

If international sports can be equated as pseudo-battles between two competing nations, mega sporting events like a World Cup or the Olympics can be thought of as an all-out war with honour at stake.

Bangladesh cricket finds itself in a state of drift. On Monday, the lush green outfield of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium lay unusually quiet, while even the academy ground showed little sign of activity.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected accreditation applications from Bangladeshi journalists seeking to cover the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

Slotted in Group C at the T20 World Cup, the West Indies will go up against England, Nepal, Italy and Scotland.

Pakistan’s Interior Minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) president Mohsin Naqvi on Monday said he had briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the “International Cricket Council (ICC) matter”, adding that a final decision would be taken either on Friday or next Monday.