The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins today in India and Sri Lanka against the backdrop of a chaotic build-up dominated by political turmoil, which eventually saw Bangladesh replaced by Scotland and Pakistan boycotting their high-stakes group-stage fixture against arch-rivals India in solidarity with Bangladesh.
When the first ball is finally bowled after the turbulent lead-in, Pakistan will open the tournament against the Netherlands in Colombo in the morning.
Scotland, called up at the 11th hour to replace Bangladesh, will take guard on the opening day when they face the West Indies in Kolkata in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, defending champions and tournament favourites India will make their tournament bow in the night match on day one against the USA in Mumbai, carrying the hopes of more than a billion home cricket supporters.
On-field action finally returns after events began spiralling over a month ago, when Bangladesh player Mustafizur Rahman was dropped by Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on January 3.
That incident triggered a chain of developments, including the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requesting relocation of their matches outside India due to security concerns and in line with government directives, only for the ICC to eventually reject the plea and replace Bangladesh with Scotland for the tournament.
Pakistan, slamming the ICC for having “double standards”, had also threatened to boycott the entire tournament. While its government eventually cleared the team to participate, it instructed Pakistan not to take the field against India in their group fixture scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. Pakistan players also stated that they would seek government clearance if they come across India in the knockout stage, which remains a possibility.
However, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said on Thursday that his team would show up in Colombo for the group-stage clash against Pakistan, stating: “We haven't said no to playing them (Pakistan).”
Meanwhile, Scotland, despite being a last-hour replacement, remain determined to prove they belong on the marquee T20 stage.
“I mean, firstly, we're very sympathetic towards Bangladeshi players, but we still massively believe that we should be here,” veteran Scotland left-arm spinner Mark Watt said yesterday.
“We believe that we can beat teams higher ranked than us. So there's no second guess in our invite into this tournament. We're all ready to go.”
Scotland will make their fifth consecutive appearance at the T20 World Cup, while Bangladesh will miss out on the tournament for the first time since its inception in 2007.
For Bangladesh, the absence is a bitter blow. Yet, by standing by their player and raising concerns over safety, the Tigers have made a statement that goes beyond cricket -- one that underscores their willingness to challenge the status quo, even at the cost of a World Cup berth.
