‘It has nothing to do with India’: England cricketer clarifies after accusing ICC of bias | Cricket News
england cricketer Kate Cross and Alex Hartley clarified that their criticism of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final arrangements was never directed at India and said they had received abuse and even death threats after their comments went viral on social media.The two discussed the issue on No Ball: Cricket Podcast and explained that their initial criticism was only about the tournament’s scheduling policy and not the Indian team.Cross revealed the scale of the backlash.“That post received 450 comments. There seems to be some confusion because I don’t think what we said was enough to justify the death threats and abuse we received.”She later made it clear that India was never the target of their criticism.“We would like to clarify that this has nothing to do with India. According to the ICC, the timing is to optimize viewership and attendance in the UK, but also with global audiences in mind.”
What sparked the controversy?
The controversy started after the ICC finalized the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-finals schedule ahead of the knockout stages.According to the rules of the competition, the top two teams in Groups A and B advance to the semi-finals. Normally, the winner of Group A will face the runner-up of Group B in one semi-final, while the winner of Group B will face the runner-up of Group A in the other semi-final.However, there is one exception. If India advances to the semi-finals, they will automatically play the first semi-final on June 30, with the match scheduled to start at 8:00 pm IST, a prime-time television slot for Indian viewers. The second semi-final, which begins at 12:00 AM IST on July 3, is considered more favorable to British audiences, especially as host England are still in contention.If India fails to qualify, the tournament will go straight to a standard knockout format.
Cross and Hartley’s original words
Speaking before India’s final group game, Kroos questioned why a team should be set for the semi-finals in advance.“Can we talk about the facts that I saw today? If India advance to the semi-finals, they will definitely play in the semi-finals on Tuesday because the ICC feels this is their best game in terms of time.”Hartley responded by pointing out that this approach is not new.“This happens in men’s cricket, women’s cricket and all World Cups.”Cross admits she understands the business reasons but thinks the principle is flawed.“Everyone can plan based on when India is playing. It’s definitely psychological. I don’t understand how you can go into a tournament and the governing body would prioritize such a team. I know exactly why they did it, but I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”Hartley also pointed out that the scheduling debate may become irrelevant if India does not reach the last four.“Yeah, it sucks, but it looks like they’re going to have a hard time qualifying anyway.”
Indian team eliminated, schedule follows normal format
The discussion eventually turned academic as India were eliminated after losing to Australia in the final group game.As India failed to reach the semi-finals, no special fixtures were used and the competition reverted to the standard knockout stages.Australia will face West Indies in the first semi-final on Tuesday and England will face South Africa in the second semi-final on Thursday.Following the backlash online, Cross and Hartley reiterated that their criticism was directed at the ICC’s scheduling policy and not India, stressing that their comments had been misconstrued and should not lead to physical abuse or threats.
Post Comment