Find out about Iceland Cricket’s interesting challenge and ICC’s final decision on Pakistan’s World Cup boycott threat. How did Bangladesh become an alternative team? Read more.
The cricket world was suddenly in a frenzy over the Pakistan Cricket Board’s possible announcement of a World Cup boycott. But in the midst of that discussion, a name that the world has no idea about cricket suddenly came into the discussion – Iceland. The small, snow-covered country, whose cricket team is unknown to anyone and whose players are unmentionable, threw a direct challenge to Pakistan. In a bold, or rather, wonderfully funny announcement, they announced, “If Pakistan does not play, we are ready to play.” Their announcement came from their social media handle, where they wrote, “We really need to know the decision quickly whether Pakistan will play in the World Cup or not. They will inform us by February 2nd. We are absolutely ready to catch the plane that day.”
The Iceland Cricket Board’s post was even funnier. They added, “But there are doubts about whether we will be in a position to play the match in Colombo on February 7. I don’t know if there will be enough air service so soon. Still, we will play. Our opening batter doesn’t sleep at night anyway.” This humorous and bold announcement spread on social media in an instant, becoming viral. Everyone started making fun, and many also encouraged Iceland’s dream to come true. But in the reality that the cricket world lives in, the chances of such unimaginable events happening are very low. Behind this funny claim of Iceland was a special identity they had already created on social media. By making funny comments and trolling big cricket teams or stars, they had created a special place for themselves in the hearts of cricket fans. They wanted to increase that popularity another step by using Pakistan’s World Cup drama as a tool, and they succeeded.
But the real story is much more complicated and different than that. Before Iceland could even get their dream off the ground, the International Cricket Council (ICC) made them face reality. According to the ICC’s new decision, if Pakistan does indeed boycott the World Cup, then the vacant slot will be filled by Bangladesh, not Iceland. The reasoning behind this decision is also quite strong. Bangladesh did not completely boycott the World Cup. They had made a conditional demand. They demanded that they did not mind not playing in India, but that their matches be shifted to Sri Lanka. The same situation has arisen in the case of Pakistan. All of Pakistan’s matches have been held in Sri Lanka due to security reasons. As a result, Bangladesh has been identified by the ICC as the most suitable team to fill that vacant slot in terms of place, time and situation.
Bangladesh is eligible to play the World Cup, and they have no objection to playing in Sri Lanka. This is the key. As realistic as Iceland’s funny claim is, Bangladesh’s potential is as real and relevant. So, Iceland’s viral tweet or post ultimately remained a beautiful, funny internet moment. It brought smiles to the faces of cricket fans, created discussions, but the Bangladesh team is preparing to enter the World Cup field as an alternative to Pakistan. This whole incident shows us how a funny incident on social media can momentarily stir up an entire real-life event, but the final decision is made by the hard logic of a strong position and reality. Iceland may not have been able to play in the World Cup this time, but they won the hearts of countless cricket fans. And Bangladesh, waiting for a possible opportunity, proved that preparation and position have the last word in international cricket. Read more
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