RAWALPINDI: Former Australian all-rounder Jason Gillespie faced online abuse after questioning the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. Gillespie took to the social media platform X to seek clarity on why Bangladesh was not allowed to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, as had been done in past ICC events.
“Has there been an explanation from the ICC why Bangladesh could not play their games outside of India?” Gillespie wrote in his now-deleted post. Drawing a comparison, he added, “From memory, India refused to play Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan, and they were allowed to play those games outside of Pakistan. Can someone make this make sense?”
Following the backlash and abusive comments from some social media users, the 50-year-old former cricketer deleted his post. Gillespie later explained to fans that he removed the post due to the negative response he received. “Because I got abused for asking a simple question, that’s why,” he wrote.
The controversy arose after the ICC officially announced on January 24 that Scotland would replace Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. The ICC confirmed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to relocate matches from India to Sri Lanka was denied, citing the absence of any verifiable security threat.
Scotland will start its campaign against the West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, followed by group-stage matches against Italy on February 9 and England on February 14. The team will then travel to Mumbai to play Nepal on February 17 in their final Group C fixture.
Gillespie’s comments highlight ongoing debates over consistency and fairness in ICC tournament arrangements. Despite the online backlash, the former cricketer’s query resonated with fans who have raised questions about the governing body’s decision-making and treatment of smaller cricketing nations like Bangladesh.
