Former Australia all-rounder Jason Gillespie deleted a post on X after being “abused” for questioning the ICC’s decision to replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Gillespie had taken to social media to seek clarity over the ICC’s decision, asking why Bangladesh were not permitted to play their matches outside India, similar to arrangements made in previous ICC tournaments. However, the 50-year-old later deleted the post, sparking speculation among fans.
“Has there been an explanation from the ICC why Bangladesh could not play their games outside of India?” Gillespie wrote in the now-deleted post on X.
Drawing comparisons with past ICC events, the former Pakistan red-ball head coach pointed to what he described as inconsistency in the governing body’s approach. “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?” he added.
Following the deletion of his X post, several fans tagged Gillespie and asked for clarification. In response, Gillespie explained to a fan that he removed his post due to the abuse he received after expressing his concerns.
“Because I got abused for asking a simple question, that’s why,” Gillespie wrote.
Earlier, on January 24, the ICC officially announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.
In a brief statement, the governing body confirmed that the decision followed the rejection of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to move their matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat.
Scotland will begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against the West Indies on February 7 in Kolkata. They will also face Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 in the group stage. The European side will then travel to Mumbai to play Nepal in their final Group C fixture on February 17.