Will ICC Remove Bangladesh's Test Status After BCB Boycott T20 World Cup 2026?

ICC T20 World Cup 2026: In what can be labelled as a shocking move, the Bangladesh government confirmed that they would boycott the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup to be played next month in India. Their decision was made public by the government and not the Bangladesh Cricket Board. 

The board has not officially informed the ICC about their decision over T20 WC participation. 

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BCB Set to Suffer

While the BCB is set to lose out on a lot of money, they could lose out on a lot of other things as well. It is a no-brainer that their ICC  rankings are going to take a hit if they do not participate in the T20 WC. Apart from that, the apex cricketing body could also strip Bangladesh of their co-hosting rights for the 2031 ODI World Cup if the standoff continues with the ICC.

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Will ICC Strip BCB of Test Status? 

Not just that, the ICC could also contemplate stripping Bangladesh of their Test status. There is nothing official on yet as yet. In the current World Test Championship cycle, Bangladesh is in the eighth spot. They have played two games and lost one. 

The BCB would realise they still have a small window to wriggle out of this mess. And hence, they have written to the ICC asking them to ensure tighter security arrangements in India. The next few days would be interesting as the BCB and the ICC would be in talks to find a way out of this crisis. 

For the unversed, Bangladesh played its first-ever Test match in Dhaka against India in June 2000. Bangladesh, back then, had become the tenth Test-playing nation. India played a massive role in convincing the other nations to grant Bangladesh it's Test status.