'Whole event is geared towards India' - Michael Vaughan accuses ICC of bias in T20 World Cup schedule

From the controversy over dangerous bounce on the drop-in pitches in New York to concerns regarding an apparently biased scheduling of the fixtures, this year's T20 World Cup has been beset by numerous issues.

There was another issue concerning India, as all of their matches were scheduled at times in the USA and the West Indies equivalent to 8 pm IST. This was perceived as a deliberate move by the ICC to ensure the convenience of Indian audiences and boost revenue from viewership and broadcasting. 

After the first semi-final, which South Africa clinched against Afghanistan by a nine-wicket margin, former English cricketer Michael Vaughan took to X to voice his concerns, stating that the "whole event is geared towards India" and that "it's so unfair on others". Notably, he is not the first Englishman to comment on the prevailing supposed prejudice involving the Indian team.

Also Read: 'It's just wrong, you're manipulating the audience' - David Lloyd on 'fixed' India-Pakistan fixture in ICC events

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: Explained: Detailed timings of play in case of rain delay for India vs England semi-final in T20 World Cup 2024

Vaughan argued that the first semi-final in Trinidad (which had a reserve day allocated) unlike the second one in Guyana, should have originally been contested by England (runners-up of Group 2) and India (first place in Group 1) during the Super Eights.

The absence of a reserve day could prove highly agonising for England if the match is washed out due to inclement weather as they will be eliminated while India will advance to the final by virtue of ending up as group toppers in Super Eights.

Notably, the second semi-final has no reserve day owing to the lack of travelling time ahead of the final scheduled in Barbados on June 29. However, an extra 250 minutes have been kept to push for a result. Although unlike the minimum threshold of five overs to constitute of a game, the semi-final's minimum is set at a minimum of 10 overs.