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England cricketers Kate Cross and Alex Hartley have clarified that their criticism of the ICC’s Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final scheduling was never directed at India, saying they have received abuse and even death threats after their comments were widely circulated on social media.The pair addressed the issue on No Balls: The Cricket Podcast, explaining that their original criticism was aimed solely at the tournament’s scheduling policy, not at the Indian team.Cross revealed the scale of the backlash.“That post received 450 comments. There seems to have been some confusion because I don’t think what we said warranted the death threats and abuse we received.”She then made it clear that India was never the target of their criticism.“We would like to clarify that this has nothing to do with India. According to the ICC, the scheduling was done to optimise viewership and attendance in the UK while also considering the global audience.”
What sparked the controversy?
The debate began after the ICC confirmed the Women’s T20 World Cup semi-final schedule before the knockout stage.Under the tournament rules, the top two teams from Groups A and B qualified for the semi-finals. Normally, the Group A winners would face the Group B runners-up in one semi-final, while the Group B winners would take on the Group A runners-up in the other.However, there was one exception. If India qualified for the semi-finals, they would automatically play the first semi-final on June 30, which was scheduled to begin at 8:00 pm IST, a prime-time television slot for Indian audiences. The second semi-final, beginning at 12:00 am IST on July 3, was considered more favourable for UK viewers, especially with hosts England still in contention.If India failed to qualify, the tournament would simply follow the standard knockout bracket.
What Cross and Hartley originally said
Speaking before India’s final group-stage match, Cross questioned why one team should have its semi-final fixed in advance.“Can we talk about the fact that I have seen today that if India qualify for the semis, they’re guaranteed to play in the Tuesday semi-final because the ICC thinks that it’s the best one for them to play in time-wise.”Hartley responded by pointing out that the practice was not new.“It happens in men’s cricket, women’s cricket, all World Cups.”Cross admitted she understood the commercial reasons but believed the principle was flawed.“Everyone can plan it based on when India are gonna play. It’s absolutely mental. I don’t understand how you can go into a tournament and the governing body would prioritise one team like that. I know exactly why they’re doing 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 is bad but it’s looking like they might struggle to qualify anyway.”
India knocked out, schedule followed normal format
The discussion eventually became 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 bracket.Australia will face West Indies in the first semi-final on Tuesday, while England will take on South Africa in the second semi-final on Thursday.Following the online backlash, Cross and Hartley have reiterated that their criticism was directed at the ICC’s scheduling policy and not at India, stressing that their comments had been misunderstood and should not have resulted in personal abuse or threats.