In a statement published on YouTube and addressed to the ICC, KNCB and the Dutch cricketing public, Dutch World T20 squad member Tim Gruitjers claims that, against his will, he has been removed from the squad in Bangladesh in order to allow formerly unavailable star batsman Tom Cooper to be brought in as a replacement.

In his statement he says that the team's coaching staff wanted to bring Tom Cooper (who became available on 13 March after South Australia's defeat in the Australian one-day competition) into the squad and that they 'needed someone to be injured'. Knowing that Gruitjers had a long-standing back problem that would show up in an MRI scan, the team management asked Gruitjers on 14 March to go for such a scan.

He claims that, against his will, he was 'forced and bullied' into going for the scan although he was not having any current problems with his back and was in the best form possible for the World T20 competition. He goes on to accuse the Dutch coaching staff of 'misusing the rules' and trying 'to hoodwink the ICC' in what is a 'disgrace and a cheat'.