The International Cricket Council has replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the upcoming T20I World Cup after a deadlock over security concerns raised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. The ICC invited Cricket Scotland to take part after the BCB failed to confirm participation by an imposed deadline, reports Cricbuzz.

The decision ends a stand–off that began after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was withdrawn from the Indian Premier League on January 3 following threats from Indian extremists. The BCB then questioned how it could guarantee the safety of its team and officials at the World Cup if it could not protect a single player, and sought to have its World Cup matches moved from India.

The ICC deemed the Mustafizur episode “isolated and unrelated” to the tournament’s security arrangements. In a statement, it said the BCB had repeatedly tied its participation to “a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league”, which it said had no bearing on the World Cup’s security framework or participation terms.

The governing body gave the BCB a 24–hour ultimatum to confirm participation. When the deadline passed with Bangladesh holding its position, the ICC moved to replace the team.

Scotland will now compete in Group C. It will open against West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, followed by matches against Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 at the same venue. Scotland will face Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.

According to cricket website Cricbuzz, ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta told board members in a letter that with the BCB non–compliant, inviting Scotland was the only option. A copy was sent to BCB president Aminul Islam. Gupta also sent a formal invitation to Cricket Scotland for this edition of the tournament.