IND vs ENG: Vaughan highlights India's 'unfair advantage' ahead of T20 World Cup semi-final
The former England captain said it was wrong to schedule the first semi-final in Trinidad
Former England captain Michael Vaughan on Thursday was unimpressed with the scheduling of the semi-finals of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.
The former right-hander said it was wrong to schedule the first semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa in Trinidad.
"So Afghanistan qualify for the WC [World Cup] semi winning in St Vincent on Monday night .. 4 hr flight delay on Tues [Tuesday] to Trinidad so no time to practice or get accustomed to a new venue .. utter lack of respect to players I am afraid," Vaughan posted on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.
He also claimed that India was given an unfair advantage during the entire tournament.
"Surely this [Afghanistan vs South Africa] semi should have been the Guyana one .. but because the whole event is geared towards India it’s so unfair on others," he further stated.
The second semi-final of the World Cup will be played in Guyana later today between India and England. However, rain is expected to play spoilsport.
According to weather.com, there is a 60% chance of rain predicted on the match day in Guyana, reducing the likelihood of a full game. The rain probability starts at 33% at the beginning of the game at 10:30 am local time and increases to 59% by around 1 pm. Consequently, an interrupted game is expected, likely frustrating both players and fans.
A reserve day was set aside for the first semi-final but not for the second one. However, to facilitate the completion of the match, the ICC has allocated a total of 250 minutes of additional time for the semi-final. This will give the ground staff ample time to prepare the pitch if the weather permits.
In case the game is washed out, the team that finished higher in their Super 8 group will qualify for the final. Therefore, India are in a better position than England as they topped Super 8 Group 1 by winning all their matches, whereas England finished second with two wins out of three games.
Comments