‘Nothing to do with India’: England cricketer clarifies after accusing ICC of bias

Indian women’s cricket team (Getty Images) England cricketers Kate Cross and Alex Hartley have clarified that their criticism of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final program was never aimed at India as they received abuse and even death threats after their comments were widely circulated on social media.The pair addressed the issue on No Balls: The Cricket Podcast, explaining that their initial criticism was directed solely at the tournament’s scheduling policy, not the Indian team.Cross revealed the extent of the recoil.“This post received 450 comments. There seems to have been some confusion because I don’t think what we said warranted the death threats and abuse we received.”She then 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 planning was done to optimize viewership and attendance in the UK while taking into account the global audience.”

What caused the controversy?

The debate started after the ICC confirmed the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final schedule ahead of the knockout stage.Under tournament rules, the top two teams from Groups A and B qualified for the semi-finals. Normally, the winners of Group A would face the runners-up of Group B in one semi-final, while the winners of Group B would face the runners-up of Group A in the other.However, there was one exception. Should India qualify for the semi-finals, they would automatically play the first semi-final on 30 June, scheduled to start at 8:00 PM IST, the prime time for the Indian audience. The second semi-final, which started on 3 July at 12:00 IST, was considered more favorable for British viewers, especially with hosts England still in contention.If India did not qualify, the tournament would simply follow a standard knockout format.

What Cross and Hartley originally said

Speaking ahead of India’s final group stage match, Cross questioned why one team should have the semi-finals fixed in advance.“What we can talk about is that I saw today that if India qualify for the semi-final, they will be guaranteed to play in Tuesday’s semi-final because the ICC thinks it’s best for them in terms of timing.”Hartley responded by pointing out that the practice is not new.“It happens in men’s cricket, women’s cricket, in all the world cups.Cross admitted she understood the commercial reasons but believed the principle was flawed.“Everyone can schedule it around when India play. It’s completely mental. I don’t understand how you can go into a tournament and the governing body would favor one team like that. I know exactly why they’re doing it, but I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”Hartley also noted that the scheduling debate could become irrelevant if India did not make it to the last four.“Yes, it’s bad, but it looks like they might have trouble qualifying anyway.

India was eliminated, the program had a normal format

The discussion eventually turned academic after India were knocked out of the tournament after losing to Australia in the final group stage match.As India did not reach the semi-finals, the special scheduling provision was not used and the competition reverted to a standard knockout bracket.Australia will face the West Indies in the first semi-final on Tuesday, while England will face South Africa in the second semi-final on Thursday.Following the online backlash, Cross and Hartley reiterated that their criticism was directed at the ICC’s scheduling policy, and not India, and stressed that their comments were misunderstood and not intended to lead to personal abuse or threats.