‘Our Loss, Uganda’s Gain’: Iceland Cricket Mocks Pakistan’s T20 WC Drama in Viral Open Letter to ICC

Iceland Cricket mocked Pakistan’s possible T20 World Cup 2026 withdrawal in a satirical open letter to the ICC, joking that their amateur players couldn’t replace Pakistan at short notice. Meanwhile, PCB sources confirm Pakistan's participation. 

The Iceland Cricket has again mocked Pakistan over their drama of pulling out of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in a hilarious open letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday, January 29. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has yet to officially confirm the national team’s participation following a threat of boycotting the marquee event, despite being scheduled to play their matches in Sri Lanka.

Pakistan’s stance came after the ICC officially removed Bangladesh from the tournament after their refusal to travel to India for their group-stage matches due to security concerns and replaced them with Scotland in Group C. As a show of solidarity, PCB hinted at a possible boycott of the February 15 clash against Team India, creating uncertainty over their participation in the tournament.

With just nine days left for the T20 World Cup 2026 to begin, Pakistan continues to play drama over their participation, keeping the cricket world guessing and providing Iceland Cricket with plenty of material for laughs.

Iceland Cricket’s Open Letter to the ICC

As uncertainty looms over Pakistan’s participation in the marquee event, the Iceland Cricket took a hilarious swipe at the situation with an open letter to the ICC, poking fun at PCB’s indecision and highlighting the absurdity of amateur cricket logistics with tongue-in-cheek humour.

Taking to their X handle (former Twitter), Iceland joked that their players, ranging from a baker tending overs, a ship captain steering his vessels, to bankers ‘going bankrupt again, could not simply drop everything and replace Pakistan at the T20 World Cup 2026.

“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 Iceland Cricket wrote.

“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,” the admin added.

Iceland Cricket is often known for its sense of humour, using the X to share witty takes on cricketing events across the world and highlight the lighter side of the sport by blending satire with tongue-in-cheek commentary.

A few days ago, Iceland hilariously expressed their desire to play Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2026, stating that they were ‘ready to replace Pakistan at a moment’s notice’, joking about the chaos of flying from Iceland with players who have their unusual jobs.

‘Our Loss is Likely Uganda’s Gain’

Further poking fun at the drama around Pakistan’s participation, Iceland humorously expressed its disappointment over missing the T20 World Cup 2026, while highlighting their global cricket following, and playfully extended their support to Uganda.

“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 are the world's 14th most followed national board on X. We were ready to give the Dutch the biggest shock they have 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 Iceland Cricket added.

“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,” concluded.

Meanwhile, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi met with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss the board’s stance and confirmed that the final decision will be taken by Friday, January 30, or Monday, February 2. Naqvi stated that all options were kept open, including a potential boycott of the match against Team India in Colombo.

Will Pakistan Participate in the T20 World Cup 2026?

Though PCB is yet to confirm Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup, it was reported that the national squad has already booked their flights to Colombo and will depart from Lahore on Monday, February 2.

As per the report by PTI, the sources close to PCB stated that the board has already made arrangements for the Pakistan squad to travel to Colombo.

“The PCB has already made travel arrangements for the World Cup squad to leave early morning on February 2 for Colombo," a PCB source said.

Pakistan are currently playing the three-match T20I series against Australia as part of their final preparations before the T20 World Cup. Men in Green took a 1-0 series lead with a 22-run win over the visitors at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Though the sources confirmed Pakistan’s participation in the tournament, there is uncertainty about whether they play Team India in Colombo. The Pakistan Cricket Board is expected to release an official statement, clarifying the squad’s schedule and their stance on the India clash.