Iceland Cricket roasts ICC amid uncertainty over Pakistan's T20 World Cup participation: ‘Our loss Uganda's gain'

The T20 World Cup 2026 edition is less than 10 days away, but there is still no clarity on Pakistan's participation in the 20-team tournament, which begins on February 7. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has repeatedly threatened to pull out of the event after the ICC's decision to show Bangladesh the door for refusing to travel to India due to security concerns. After the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided against travelling to India, the ICC made the harsh decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in Group C.

Following Bangladesh's ouster, the PCB chief initially stated that the team would withdraw if the Pakistan Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said so. He then met with the top official, who stated that the final decision would be announced on either January 30 or February 2.

Amid the ongoing standoff between the ICC and PCB, Iceland Cricket, known for its playful jabs on social media, once again took a humorous stance on the issue, and the official handle minced no words in taking potshots at the ICC, PCB, and even Scotland cricket.

Iceland Cricket joked that the team would not be able to replace Pakistan even if the ICC asked them, as it is just too late now, saying they are not like “Scotland,” which can come at the last minute and replace another team (Bangladesh).

"Dear@ICC, it is with a heavy heart that we now announce our unavailability to replace Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Regardless of whether they now withdraw, the short timescales ensure it is impossible for our squad to prepare in the professional manner necessary to compete effectively in this global cricketing spectacle. We are not like Scotland and able to turn up on a whim, with no kit sponsor," the official handle of Iceland Cricket wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“Our players are from all walks of life and cannot simply drop their occupations to fly halfway around the world to experience temperatures only normally felt in Finnish saunas. Our captain, a professional baker, needs to attend to his oven, our ship captain needs to steer his vessel, and our bankers need to go bankrupt (again). This is the harsh reality of cricket at the amateur level of the game,” it added.

Even Donald Trump was not spared

The US President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken up about his demand to annex Greenland. In his recent speech at Davos, he said that the US wants to avert a full-scale crisis over Greenland. It is also worth mentioning that at several points during his speech, Trump appeared to confuse Greenland with Iceland, claiming “Iceland” had caused a drop in stock prices on January 20.

The handle of Iceland Cricket did not even leave Trump as a brutal jibe was taken at the US President's recent comments about Greenland.

Lastly, the post concluded that Iceland Cricket's refusal to serve as the replacement team would be Uganda's gain, as they would have the chance to play in the World Cup if Pakistan were to withdraw.

“This news will be extremely disappointing to our fans. Despite being the most peaceful nation on Earth, we maintain an army of online followers and rank as the world's 14th-most-followed national board on X. We were ready to give the Dutch the biggest shock they had experienced since William of Orange lost the Battle of Landen in 1693. And the Americans were looking forward to taking on Greenland, or so their orange-dyed leader thought,” the handle wrote.

“Our loss is likely Uganda's gain. We wish them well. Their kits cannot be missed unless you have epilepsy, in which case they are probably best avoided. The future is always ice, until it isn't. Yours sincerely, Icelandic Cricket Association,” the post concluded.

Coming back to the T20 World Cup, the tournament will be played across eight venues in India and Sri Lanka. The competition is slated to begin with the opening match between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo, while defending champions India will also be in action on the same day, taking on the USA at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Click here to read article