As Pakistan’s T20 World Cup participation hangs in doubt, Iceland Cricket stole the spotlight with a viral X post politely declining to replace them citing short notice, non-professional players and “sauna-like” conditions in India.
Pakistan set to begin their World Cup campaign on February 7
New Delhi: Amid uncertainty surrounding Pakistan’s participation in the T20 World Cup, Iceland Cricket has once again captured the internet’s attention with a humorous post on X, announcing its “unavailability” to replace Pakistan in the tournament due to a lack of preparation time.
The tongue-in-cheek post quickly went viral, adding comic relief to an already chaotic build-up to the global cricket event.
In its post addressed to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Iceland Cricket said the short time frame made it impossible for them to prepare adequately for a tournament of such magnitude. The account jokingly added that they are not like Scotland, who recently stepped in to replace Bangladesh after the latter withdrew citing security concerns in India.
“Dear @ICC, It is with a heavy heart that we now announce our unavailability to replace Pakistan in the upcoming T20 World Cup,” the post read, emphasising the need for professional preparation to compete on the world stage.
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…
— Iceland Cricket (@icelandcricket) January 29, 2026
Known for its witty online presence, Iceland Cricket further explained that most of its players are not full-time professionals and cannot simply leave their jobs to travel halfway across the world at short notice.
Adding to the humour, the post referenced India’s weather conditions, noting that players would struggle in temperatures resembling Finnish saunas. The T20 World Cup is set to begin on February 7, with temperatures in India expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius or higher.
The viral post comes at a time when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly been considering withdrawing from the T20 World Cup in solidarity with Bangladesh, a move that has drawn widespread trolling on social media.
Earlier, Iceland Cricket had jokingly offered to replace Pakistan if they pulled out, but Thursday’s post made it clear that the offer was firmly off the table.
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According to reports, if Pakistan eventually withdraws, Uganda is expected to replace them in the tournament. Iceland Cricket humorously welcomed the possibility, saying that Pakistan’s loss would be Uganda’s gain, and adding that Uganda’s flashy jersey would ensure they go unnoticed by no one.
Despite not being an ICC member nation, Iceland Cricket boasts a strong online following, claiming to be the 14th-most followed cricket board globally, with over 155,000 followers on X.
Once again, Iceland Cricket’s clever humour has proven that while they may not feature in the World Cup, they continue to win fans worldwide one viral post at a time.
