Rampant India have been unbeaten so far in the ongoing T20 World Cup and will face defending champions England in the second semi-final on Thursday. However, it could be the case where Jos Buttler and Co may fly home to the UK without bowling another ball in this tournament. The reason being the schedule of the game and the impact of the weather.
The India vs England game is set to be played at the Providence Stadium in Bridgetown, Guyana. As the country is into its wet season, the rain threat looms large over the second semi-final. Unlike the first semi-final – South Africa vs Afghanistan – this game doesn’t have a designated reserve day. The ICC has allotted a buffer of 250 minutes which if doesn’t suffice for a complete game, India will progress into the finals because they finished higher in their Super Eight group than England.
IND vs ENG Guyana Weather Live Updates
The disparity has irked the English and Australian media as they have begun talking potshots at the ICC, accusing the global body of favouring India and their audience.
UK’s Daily Mail reported that the ICC is “over-reliant on a single mass market that matters of organisational integrity come a distant second”.
“The reason for this discrepancy boils down to the need to maximise the TV audience in South Asia. India have been billeted for the Guyana semi-final ever since the World Cup schedule was drawn up – a pre-arrangement not afforded any other team in the competition,” the report stated.
Another media outlet, inews.co.uk, stated that the global body gave India ‘preferential treatment’ to maximise the TV audience in South Asia.
“The ICC were under pressure to maximise the TV audience for their semi-final given their Indian broadcast deal with Disney Star is worth more than £1billion per year. The pressure exerted on the ICC by the BCCI can be crushing,” the report said, also questioning the difference in timings of both semi-final clashes.
Meanwhile, the Aussie media targeted the ICC for ‘pampering’ India. Mitch Marsh’s Australia were knocked out of the tournament after losing to Afghanistan and India in the Super 8. While India ended as the top team in the group, Afghanistan ended second with 2 wins in 3 games.
“How mind-bending schedule stitched up Aussies, pampered India,” read the headline of an article in the Herald Sun. It talked about how Australia had different match timings in the Super Eight while all of India’s matches had a morning start.e5
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