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ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Scotland have been included as their replacement team for the 2026 T20 World Cup after Bangladesh pulled out at the last moment. But before coming to play the World Cup again drama.
Scotland have been included as their replacement team for the 2026 T20 World Cup after Bangladesh pulled out at the last minute. With this sudden opportunity, the Scottish team has to prepare to leave for India in a very short time. But the biggest hurdle is getting the Indian visa for the players. With only ten days left for the World Cup to begin, there is also time pressure.
Of particular concern for the Scotland team is fast bowler Safian Sharif. He was born in England to a Pakistani father and a British-Pakistani mother. Since India and Pakistan have not had good diplomatic relations for a long time, many professionals of Pakistani origin find it difficult to get Indian visas. That is why there is a separate concern about getting Sharif’s visa.
Safian Sharif is one of the most experienced players in Scotland cricket. He has so far played 90 ODIs and 75 T20Is for Scotland and has taken 198 wickets in both editions. Without an important player like him, going into the World Cup, the strength of the Scotland team will be greatly reduced.
Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblad said they were working closely with the ICC to resolve the visa issue. According to him, the issue of visa is always uncertain, whether the time is short or long. Their main focus for the last 48 hours was to complete the players’ visa application process as quickly as possible.
Earlier, there was a controversy over the visas of some Pakistani-origin cricketers of the US team, but later it was learned that it was only a delay, not a cancellation. Scotland, too, hopes their problems will go away in the same way. All eyes are now on the visa process, so that the Scotland team can reach India in time to take part in the World Cup.
Kolkata, West Bengal
