former England captain Michael Bourne He expressed dissatisfaction with the schedule. ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semifinal. As his remarks continued Afghanistan loses 9 wickets to South Africa The first semi-final saw fans and cricket experts alike question the fairness of the tournament’s logistics.
Questions about Afghanistan’s preparation time
Vaughan pointed out: India vs England second semi-final The plan should have been made earlier to give Afghanistan more time to prepare. He claimed that Afghanistan, which had a short turnaround time between games and its last Super 8 match, said: Bangladesh And in the semifinals, they had a disadvantageous result due to lack of practice time to adapt to the situation.
Concerns about Trinidad’s pitch
In particular, the Trinidad pitch, which showed uneven bounce, came under scrutiny as Afghanistan, which chose to bat first, was dismissed after just 56 runs. Vaughan highlighted that the flight delays had exacerbated Afghanistan’s difficulties, leaving them with just one day left to prepare for the semi-final. According to Vaughan, this undermined the competitive balance of the match.
Criticism of ICC’s scheduling bias
Vaughan’s criticism extended to India’s semi-final fixture against England, suggesting it reflected bias against India. He noted that as per the tournament’s pre-determined schedule, if India makes it to the semi-finals, they will be playing in Guyana, implying preferential treatment.
“Of course this semi should have been held in Guyana but the whole event was geared towards India so it was unfair to everyone else. #T20IWorldCup” Vaughan expressed it on X (formerly Twitter):
Definitely this semi should have been the Guyana semi… but it’s so unfair to everyone else since the entire event was aimed at India… #T20IWorld Cup
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 27, 2024
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Concerns about ground preparation
Vaughan also questioned the ground preparation in the context of the looming rain threat for the second semi-final between India and England. He expressed concern that the entire outfield was not properly covered, suggesting that a more extensive cover should have been used to prevent potential rain disruption.
“Heavy rain was forecast. I understand it’s the rainy season, but why is there so little coverage of the entire outfield!!!!! Of course you can get more cover so we will cover the whole ground!!!!!!!” Vaughan tweeted.
Heavy rain is forecast… I understand it’s the rainy season… But why is there so little cover covering the entire outfield!!!!! Surely you can get more covers so we cover the whole ground!!!!!!!! https://t.co/HE2O0TwqWe
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 27, 2024