As the BCB and the ICC continue talks on whether Bangladesh will play their matches at the 2026 T20 World Cup in India amid security concerns, it is worth recalling other occasions when teams opted out of playing ICC events in host nations.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board and the ICC are weighing options regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup in India, citing safety issues. Below are five past instances in which teams refused to play ICC tournaments in host countries.
1996 ODI World Cup: Australia, West Indies stay away from Sri Lanka
Ahead of the 1996 ODI World Cup, co-host Sri Lanka was facing a civil war, and a bomb blast in Colombo in January—just weeks before the tournament—intensified security fears.
In a show of support, a combined India-Pakistan XI played a friendly against Sri Lanka in Colombo before the event. Australia and West Indies, however, declined to travel to Colombo for their group matches against Sri Lanka and forfeited points as a result.
Sri Lanka progressed comfortably to the quarter-finals, as did Australia and West Indies, and later defeated Australia in the final in Lahore.
2003 ODI World Cup: England avoid Zimbabwe; New Zealand skip Kenya
The first Africa-hosted ODI World Cup in 2003—co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya—saw two teams refuse to play in host nations.
England did not travel to Harare to play Zimbabwe, citing opposition by the UK government under Tony Blair to Robert Mugabe’s regime. New Zealand declined to play Kenya in Nairobi due to security concerns following a bombing in Mombasa months earlier.
Both teams asked for their matches to be relocated, but the ICC rejected the requests and awarded walkovers to Zimbabwe and Kenya. England exited in the first round, while New Zealand advanced to the Super Sixes. Kenya, benefiting from the forfeiture, went on to reach the semi-finals.
2009 T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe withdraw
Relations between Zimbabwe and the UK remained strained, raising doubts over whether Zimbabwean players would receive visas to travel to England for the 2009 T20 World Cup. In July 2008, the ICC and Zimbabwe reached what they termed a “win-win” agreement.
Zimbabwe withdrew from the tournament “in the larger interest of the game,” saying they did not want to be unwelcome participants, but received their full participation fee. Scotland, an Associate nation, replaced them after qualifying.
2016 Under-19 World Cup: Australia pull out
Australia had already withdrawn from a bilateral series in Bangladesh in October 2015 due to security concerns. By the time of the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, their position was unchanged, citing a continued “threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh.”
The ICC said it respected Australia’s decision, though it was disappointed. Ireland took Australia’s place in the tournament.
2025 Champions Trophy: India decline to tour Pakistan
The 2025 Champions Trophy was set to be Pakistan’s first ICC event in 29 years after being confirmed as hosts in November 2021. Uncertainty persisted over India’s participation, given the strained relations between the two countries and India’s last tour of Pakistan dating back to 2008.
Although Pakistan travelled to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, India eventually announced it would not visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, citing a lack of government clearance. After prolonged discussions, a compromise for the 2024–2027 ICC cycle was agreed: matches between India and Pakistan in tournaments hosted by either country would be held at neutral venues. Consequently, India played their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Dubai and went on to win the tournament.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
