The former England opening batter, Mark Butcher, has backed the ICC’s decision to remove Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026 after the latter refused to travel to India due to security concerns. Butcher reckons that the ICC needs to make a clear plan going forward for the teams that won’t travel to the host nation of the ICC events.

Bangladesh was scheduled to play three games against West Indies, Italy, and England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata before making a trip to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against Nepal. They were later replaced by Scotland as the governing body.

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“The ICC had a choice to make at that point: do they do what actually should happen from now on in? This is a precedent that I think is worth following, that when a team, whether it’s through their government or it’s off their own bat, has security concerns or whatever concerns about visiting a country for a tournament, then basically they should be scrapped and the next cab off the rank qualifies, and you go ahead without them.” Butcher has expressed on the Wisden podcast.

Mark Butcher questions Bangladesh's ICC T20 World Cup 2026 snub

Butcher has also questioned the decision to bring Scotland in place of Bangladesh, given that they finished under Jersey in the qualifiers, which should be the main aspect for the qualification. Despite that, the ICC brought Scotland through the T20I rankings.

“There have been a lot of preceding events – not to this particular farrago – that have parallels. Obviously, the India Champions Trophy issue with Pakistan and how that ended up being resolved with India playing matches in Dubai, including the final. We’ve had tournaments, kind of re-jigged and re-arranged to accommodate one team or another throughout the history of the game of cricket.” Butcher addressed in Wisden.

“I think the India example for the Champions Trophy, everyone could see that coming, that was so obvious that you could see it from space, that that was going to be the position. I’m certainly not being naive in thinking that everyone else stands in the same position in India, because they don’t.” The former batter concluded. 

The former England wicket-keeper batter, Mark Butcher, has made an interesting point after four matches of the five-match Test series in England. He has avoided calling Joe Root or Shubman Gill his favorite batter of the series, having seen KL Rahul face the new Dukes ball the best in these conditions, opening the batting for India. 

Rahul is the second leading run-getter of the series so far with 511 runs in eight innings at an average of 63.88 and a strike rate of around 51 with 67 boundaries. He smashed a fine 137-run knock during the first game at Leeds in the second innings before smashing 100 in the first innings of the third Lord’s Test.

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‘I mean, KL Rahul, what a player. Shubman Gill, at the end of it, is going to end with 1000 runs or something in the series. Maybe not that many, but KL Rahul, I mean, all I have heard, for the last god knows how many years, is how impossible or difficult it is to open the batting in England against the Dukes ball. Well, this guy, not just in this tour, but on the previous tour, has made it look very straightforward.’ Mark Butcher expressed in Wisden.

Watch: Mark Butcher calls KL Rahul the best batter of the ENG vs IND 2025 series

Apart from the two centuries, the right-handed batter drilled 90 runs in the second innings of the previous fourth Test at Old Trafford. It was an exceptional knock from the veteran, especially after they lost two wickets for zero runs on the board in the opening over.

🗣️ "He's definitely my favourite out of everybody on both sides. I just love watching him bat."

In the last ten years, no opening batter has scored more Test centuries in England than KL Rahul 😮

🤝 @remitly #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/4J1tlnFG9j

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 29, 2025

‘Technique is something that, you know, has almost become a swear word in the game of cricket in recent times. But man, he is good. Defense is immaculate. Side-on play and plays it late. Got all the strikes that you could ever want to go along with that as well. So, it’s not just technique over run-scoring. What a fabulous player. He is my everybody out of everybody on both sides. I just love watching him bat.’ Butcher explained.

For India to draw the series, they will need to earn a victory in the fifth game. For that to happen, KL Rahul will have a key role to play.

India's decision to delay their declaration in the second innings of the second Test versus England has faced backlash from a number of former players and cricket analysts. Even though the Shubman Gill-led side held a sizeable lead, they batted for almost an hour in the third session on day 4 before declaring and setting England a target of 608 runs. This left India with just over three sessions and one hour to bowl out England and push for a win.

With rain predicted on the fifth day, which eventually caused delays, many felt that India had wasted precious time. Critics pointed out that the declaration came too late. Former England cricketer Ian Ward suggested that India was playing mind games with England, especially after Ben Stokes had made his team's fourth-innings chasing confidence very clear.

Before the match, Stokes had boldly stated, "We're confident in our abilities to be able to go out and chase when we have to bat in the fourth innings." That statement came after England had successfully chased 371 in the first Test at Leeds.

Experts React to India's Strategy

Speaking on Sky Sports, Ian Ward said, "We always hear England and Ben Stokes say, 'we'll try to chase anything to win.' India is just playing on that here; that's the only reason I can think of as to why they've declared so late. They're playing on England's ego, confidence, mantra, or whatever you want to call it."

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Mark Butcher, another former England player, also questioned India’s approach, calling the timing of the declaration "a bit baffling." He added, "It is a legacy, a tribute, to the fear Stokes and England put into teams when setting fourth-innings targets. India wants to make sure England is completely and utterly out of it, and then you ask a team reticent to draw games whether they can do it. India could have given themselves more time to win the game by scoring faster."

"But whether that turns out to be the right thing to do, we will find out tomorrow, but for now it is a little bit baffling," Butcher concluded.

Former England cricketer Mark Butcher has come down hard on Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling performance during the first Test between India and England at Leeds. Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, Butcher criticized Jadeja for failing to exploit the rough patches on the pitch, which could have troubled England’s batters, especially the left-handers. India eventually lost the match by five wickets after England successfully chased down a challenging 371-run target on Day 5.

Butcher, in particular, was stunned by Jadeja's inability to bowl into the rough areas, despite his vast experience. “I could not believe how poorly he bowled. I would liken it to owning a hammer but punching nails in with your fist instead—not landing the ball in the rough at all until, basically, it was too late. That was extraordinary,” he said. He also mentioned wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant’s role in failing to guide the bowler effectively, adding, “Somehow, it didn't seem to click to him or Rishabh Pant, the keeper, that it might be a good idea not to keep missing the rough all day to the left-handers.”

Butcher also questioned India’s team selection, especially the inclusion of Shardul Thakur over a specialist spinner like Kuldeep Yadav. Thakur had a poor outing with both bat and ball, managing just two wickets in the match while being expensive and failing to reach double digits with the bat. “How much more interesting might that last day have been had they gone for Kuldeep Yadav instead of Shardul Thakur?” Butcher remarked, further adding, “If you are not contributing with the bat down there at No. 8, you damn well be taking wickets and be in the game as a bowler for more of the game than he was.”

India’s Missed Opportunities and England’s Clinical Finish

The Test started on a strong note for India after being put to bat, with hundreds from Yashasvi Jaiswal (101), Shubman Gill (147), and Rishabh Pant (134) taking them to 471. England responded well through Ollie Pope’s 106, Brook’s 99, and Duckett’s 62, reaching 465 and conceding a narrow six-run lead. Jasprit Bumrah took a five-wicket haul but lacked support from the rest of the attack.

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India capitalized again in the second innings, with KL Rahul (137) and Pant (118) powering them to 364 and setting England a target of 371. However, a lower-order collapse meant they couldn’t stretch the lead further. England began their chase with a 188-run opening stand between Crawley (65) and Duckett (149), followed by an unbeaten 81-run partnership between Root (53*) and debutant Jamie Smith (44*), sealing the win. Duckett was named Player of the Match.