England’s cricketers Kate Cross and Alex Hartley have clarified that their criticism of the ICC T20 World Cup semi-final scheduling was never directed at India, saying they received abuse and even death threats after their comments were widely shared on social media.The pair addressed the issue on No Balls: The Cricket Podcast, explaining that their original criticism was only directed at the tournament’s scheduling policy, not the Indian team.Cross revealed the scale of the backlash.“This post received 450 comments. It seems there was some confusion because I don’t think what we said warranted the death threats and abuse we received.”He later made it clear that India was never the target of his criticism.“We want to clarify that this has nothing to do with India. According to the ICC, the planning was done to optimize the view and attendance in the United Kingdom, also considering the global audience.”
What sparked the controversy?
The debate started after the ICC confirmed the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final schedule ahead of the knockout stage.Under the rules of the tournament, the top two teams from groups A and B qualified for the semi-finals. Normally, the winners of Group A face the winners of Group B in one semi-final, while the winners of Group B face the runners-up of Group A in the other.However, there was an exception. If India qualified for the semi-finals, they would automatically play the first semi-final on 30 June, which was scheduled to start at 8:00 pm IST, a prime-time television slot for the Indian audience. The second semi-final, starting at 12:00 am IST on July 3, was considered more favorable for UK viewers, especially with hosts England still in contention.If India did not qualify, the tournament would follow the standard knockout bracket only.
What Cross and Hartley originally said
Speaking ahead of India’s final group stage match, Cross questioned why a team should have their semi-final fixed in advance.“We can talk about the fact that I saw today that if India qualify for the semi-final, they are guaranteed to play in the semi-final on Tuesday because the ICC thinks that it is the best for them to play in the time.”Hartley responded by pointing out that the practice was not new.“It happens in men’s cricket, in women’s cricket, in all the World Cups.”Cross admitted that he understood the business reasons, but believed that the principle was flawed.“Everything can be planned based on when India will play. It’s absolutely mental. I don’t understand how you can go into a tournament and the governing body would prioritize a team like this. I know exactly why they do it, but I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”Hartley also noted that the scheduling debate could become irrelevant if India did not make the last four.“Yeah, it’s bad, but it looks like they might struggle to qualify anyway.”
India eliminated, the schedule followed the normal format
The discussion turned academic after India were eliminated from the tournament following their defeat to Australia in their final group stage match.With India failing to reach the semi-finals, the special scheduling provision was not used, and the competition reverted to the standard knockout stage.Australia will face 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, insisting that their comments were misunderstood and should not result in personal abuse or threats.
