When Teams Refused to Play at ICC Venues: Full History of ICC Tournament Standoffs

International cricket thrives on global participation, but history shows that not every ICC tournament has unfolded smoothly. On multiple occasions, teams and boards have refused to play matches in host countries due to security concerns, political tensions, or government restrictions.

From the civil war backdrop of the 1996 World Cup to Bangladesh’s current standoff with the ICC over the 2026 T20 World Cup in India, these decisions have shaped tournaments, altered schedules, and in some cases, changed cricketing history.

As the BCB and ICC remain in discussions over whether Bangladesh will play their 2026 T20 World Cup fixtures in India, it is worth revisiting every major instance when teams refused to play ICC tournament matches in designated host nations.

2026 T20 World Cup: Bangladesh pulls out

Bangladesh pulled out of the 2026 T20 World Cup after refusing to travel to India due to security concerns. The Bangladesh Cricket Board asked the ICC to move their matches to a neutral venue, but the request was rejected.

After the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to move its matches, the BCB formally wrote to the ICC asking that the matter be referred to the independent Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC). The DRC operates under English law, is seated in London, conducts confidential arbitration through independent panels, and delivers final and binding rulings on disputes connected to ICC matters.

Bangladesh has reiterated that its decision is a sovereign one, based purely on security. Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said there was no scope for Bangladesh to change its stance and stated that if the venue is not altered, Bangladesh will not take part in the tournament. He also accused the ICC of failing to ensure justice and said the security concern arose from a real incident, not assumptions.

The ICC, however, refused to relocate the fixtures, stating that its decisions are guided by objective threat assessments, host guarantees, and agreed participation terms. The governing body said it had found no independent security findings serious enough to justify a change and warned that relocating matches would create logistical and scheduling problems and undermine the neutrality of ICC governance.

Bangladesh was drawn in Group C with England, Italy, the West Indies, and Nepal. They were scheduled to play their first three matches in Kolkata and their final group match in Mumbai, beginning with a game against West Indies on February 7, the opening day of the tournament.

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul said the situation was triggered by Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from an IPL team due to security concerns, despite the player not being injured, withdrawn, or having his NOC revoked. The BCB contacted the ICC on January 4 and proposed solutions such as a neutral venue or hybrid model, citing past ICC tournaments where such approaches were used.

Other Teams Refused to play at ICC Venues

1. 1996 ODI World Cup: Australia and West Indies refuse to play in Sri Lanka

The 1996 ODI World Cup was co-hosted by India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. At the time, Sri Lanka was in the midst of a civil war, and a bomb explosion in Colombo in January, just two weeks before the tournament, raised serious safety concerns.

In support of Sri Lanka, a combined XI from India and Pakistan played a friendly match in Colombo before the tournament.

However, Australia and the West Indies refused to travel to Colombo for their group matches against Sri Lanka. As a result, both teams forfeited points from those fixtures.

Despite the situation, Sri Lanka qualified comfortably for the quarter-finals. Australia and the West Indies also advanced.

Sri Lanka eventually went on to defeat Australia in the final in Lahore, lifting the World Cup despite the early turmoil.

2. 2003 ODI World Cup: England and New Zealand skip the host nations

The 2003 ODI World Cup was the first to be hosted in Africa, co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. It witnessed two separate refusals.

England declined to play their match in Harare due to the UK government’s stance under Prime Minister Tony Blair against the Robert Mugabe regime.

New Zealand refused to travel to Nairobi to face Kenya because of security concerns, following a bombing in Mombasa a few months earlier.

Both boards requested that their matches be shifted. The ICC refused and awarded walkovers to Zimbabwe and Kenya.

• England were later eliminated in the first round.
• New Zealand snuck into the Super Sixes from Group B.
• Kenya, benefiting from the forfeiture, made a historic run to the semi-finals.

3. 2009 T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe withdraws from the tournament

Ahead of the 2009 T20 World Cup, political relations between Zimbabwe and the UK remained strained, creating uncertainty over whether Zimbabwean players would receive visas to travel if England hosted the event.

In July 2008, the ICC and Zimbabwe reached what they termed a “win-win” solution.

Zimbabwe withdrew from the tournament “in the larger interest of the game”, stating they did not want to be “gatecrashers” to a “party they weren’t invited to.”

Despite withdrawing, Zimbabwe received its full participation fee.

An Associate team, Scotland, was selected from the qualifiers to replace Zimbabwe.

4. 2016 Under-19 World Cup: Australia pulls out of Bangladesh

In October 2015, Australia had already withdrawn from a bilateral series in Bangladesh, citing security concerns.

When the 2016 Under-19 World Cup approached, Australia maintained the same stance, stating that the “threat to Australian interests in Bangladesh” remained unchanged.

The ICC said it “respected” Australia’s decision but was “disappointed.”

Australia was replaced by Ireland in the tournament.

5. 2025 Champions Trophy: India refuses to travel to Pakistan

The 2025 Champions Trophy was set to be the first ICC tournament in Pakistan in 29 years. Pakistan had been confirmed as hosts in November 2021.

The major uncertainty was whether India, which had not played in Pakistan since 2008, would travel. Although Pakistan toured India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, there was no clarity on India’s return.

As the tournament drew closer, the BCCI informed the ICC that India would not travel, stating it had not received government clearance.

After prolonged discussions between the boards and the ICC, a compromise was reached for the 2024–2027 cycle:

For any ICC tournament hosted by India or Pakistan, matches involving the other country would be played at a neutral venue.

As a result, India’s matches in the 2025 Champions Trophy were played in Dubai. India went on to win the tournament.

A recurring ICC pattern

From Colombo in 1996 to Nairobi in 2003, from Zimbabwe’s withdrawal in 2009 to Australia’s absence in Bangladesh in 2016, and from India’s neutral-venue games in 2025 to Bangladesh’s present dispute over 2026, ICC tournaments have repeatedly faced the same difficult intersection of cricket, security, politics, and governance.

Bangladesh’s current move to seek arbitration through the DRC follows a long trail of ICC precedents where teams chose not to play in host nations, sometimes reshaping tournaments, sometimes opening unexpected paths, and often leaving lasting marks on the game’s history.

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