Jason Gillespie questions Bangladesh’s removal from T20 World Cup, asks why ICC allowed India not to play in Pakistan

Jason Gillespie apparently deleted a tweet about his take on the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The former Australian cricketer questioned the International Cricket Council (ICC) over its decision on Bangladesh.

“Has there been an explanation from the ICC why Bangladesh could not play their games outside of India? 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?!?!” Gillespie wrote in the now-deleted tweet.

A user, who primarily posts about Pakistan cricket, shared a screenshot of the deleted tweet on Twitter (now X). The cricketer-turned-coach justified why he had deleted the tweet.

“Because I got abused for asking a simple question. That’s why,” the former Pakistan coach replied.

The Pakistan cricket fan replied, “Don’t worry. We are all with you and here to support you. Be brave, just as you were on the field. Stay blessed.”

“Coz he got unreasonable abuse from the multitude of utter idiots who reside on this medium. He is more qualified than most to call out the absolute hypocrisy and double standards of the India-centric ICC,” commented another user.

“Because you are asking such a nonsense question, India already informed ICC about not playing matches in Pakistan because of the political tensions and obviously the safety of the cricketers. Bangladesh informed the ICC 1 month before the tournament was scheduled,” came from another.

Another user wrote, “Got silenced.”

This report is based on user-generated content from social media. LiveMint has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.

The decision was taken jointly by the Bangladesh government and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). it cited security concerns and strained diplomatic relations with India.

Bangladesh requested the ICC, led by Chairman Jay Shah, to move their matches to a neutral venue, such as Sri Lanka, or change their group. However, the ICC stood firm on the original schedule. Independent security assessments conducted by the ICC found no credible threat to players or officials in India.

With the tournament close to starting, the ICC gave Bangladesh a 24-hour deadline to confirm participation. The Bangladesh government did not grant travel clearance. The ICC then officially removed the team from the competition.

Scotland, the next highest-ranked team, were named as Bangladesh’s replacement. The decision may also lead to financial penalties for the BCB.

The ICC then approved a hybrid model for the tournament. Under this arrangement, India played all its matches at a neutral venue in Dubai.

As part of this plan, India’s group matches and the final were shifted out of Pakistan. The Men in Blue won the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai.

India’s longstanding security concerns about playing in Pakistan is based on a history of violence and terrorism. Bangladesh, on the contrary, has no such is no such policy against India.