'Why were India allowed?': Former Pakistan coach blasts ICC after Bangladesh World Cup exit

Former Australia cricketer Jason Gillespie emerged arsenic 1 of the astir vocal professional of the ICC aft Bangladesh were removed from the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, questioning what helium described arsenic a glaring deficiency of consistency successful however the satellite assemblage applies its ain standards. Gillespie, who has antecedently worked arsenic caput manager of Pakistan, took to X to gully a nonstop examination with the 2025 Champions Trophy, erstwhile India were allowed to play their matches astatine a neutral venue aft citing information concerns astir travelling to Pakistan.

“Has determination been an mentation from the ICC wherefore Bangladesh could not play their games extracurricular of India?” Gillespie wrote. “From memory, India refused to play Champions Trophy matches successful Pakistan and were allowed to play those games extracurricular the country. Can idiosyncratic marque this marque sense?”

The erstwhile accelerated bowler aboriginal deleted the post. Bangladesh were officially replaced by Scotland aft a three-week impasse with the ICC. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had refused to nonstop its squad to India for the World Cup, repeatedly flagging information concerns and pushing for their matches to beryllium shifted to Sri Lanka. The ICC, however, stood firm, citing aggregate autarkic information assessments which concluded determination was “no credible oregon verifiable information threat” to the Bangladesh squad successful India.

The standoff intensified aft a January 21 ICC committee meeting, wherever each but 2 members rejected Bangladesh’s petition to relocate matches and issued the BCB a 24-hour ultimatum to reconsider. Bangladesh did not backmost down, alternatively challenging the ICC’s appraisal and claiming the menace level was higher than reported. That presumption was viewed internally arsenic hard to justify, particularly fixed Bangladesh’s circuit of Pakistan for the Champions Trophy the erstwhile twelvemonth nether a higher menace perception. In its authoritative statement, the ICC described Bangladesh’s removal arsenic a “difficult decision”, stressing that it was not feasible to amend the docket truthful adjacent to the tournament. “Over a play of much than 3 weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB done aggregate rounds of dialogue,” the connection said, adding that elaborate information and operational plans had been shared astatine respective stages.