Former England captain Michael Vaughan has voiced his discontent with the scheduling of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-finals. His remarks came in the wake of Afghanistan’s heavy 9-wicket loss to South Africa in the first semi-final, which left fans and cricket pundits alike questioning the fairness of the tournament’s logistics.
Afghanistan’s preparation time questioned
Vaughan pointed out that the second semi-final between India and England should have been scheduled earlier to provide Afghanistan with more preparation time. He argued that Afghanistan, who had a short turnaround time between their last Super 8 match against Bangladesh and the semi-final clash, were disadvantaged due to insufficient practice time to acclimate to the conditions.
Concerns over Trinidad pitch
Notably, the Trinidad pitch, which exhibited uneven bounce, came under scrutiny after Afghanistan, having opted to bat first, were dismissed for just 56 runs. Vaughan highlighted that a flight delay compounded Afghanistan’s challenges, leaving them with only a day to prepare for the semi-final. This, according to Vaughan, undermined the competitive balance of the match.
Criticism of ICC’s scheduling bias
Vaughan’s critique extended to the scheduling of India’s semi-final against England, suggesting it reflected a bias towards India. He noted that the tournament’s pre-arranged schedule had India slated to play in Guyana if they advanced to the semi-finals, implying a preferential treatment.
“Surely this Semi should have been the Guyana one, but because the whole event is geared towards India it’s so unfair on others. #T20IWorldCup,” Vaughan expressed on X (formerly Twitter).
Surely this Semi should have been the Guyana one .. but because the whole event is geared towards India it’s so unfair on others .. #T20IWorldCup
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 27, 2024
Also READ: Dale Steyn, Graeme Smith and others react as South Africa reach their first-ever World Cup final
Concerns over ground preparation
Vaughan also questioned the ground preparation in the context of the rain threat looming over the second semi-final between India and England. He raised concerns about the inadequate covering of the entire outfield, suggesting more extensive covers should have been used to protect against potential rain disruptions.
“So huge rain forecasted. It’s the monsoon season so I get it, so why so few covers for the whole outfield!!!!! Surely you get more covers so we cover the whole ground!!!!!!” Vaughan tweeted.
So huge rain forecasted .. It’s the monsoon season so I get it .. so why so few covers for the whole outfield !!!!! surely you get more covers so we cover the whole ground !!!!!!!! https://t.co/HE2O0TwqWe
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 27, 2024
Also READ: Fans in shock as South Africa packs Afghanistan for the lowest-ever total in T20 World Cup semi-final
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