'Set up for India': Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan slam ICC over T20 World Cup scheduling

In a recent episode of the Club Prairie Fire podcast, former cricket legends Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan expressed their discontent with the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the scheduling of the T20 World Cup 2024, accusing the apex body of favoritism towards India.

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Adam Gilchrist, Michael Vaughan slam ICC

Former England captain Michael Vaughan was particularly outspoken, stating, "It's their tournament, isn't it? Literally, it's their tournament. They get to play whenever they want, they get to know exactly where their semi-finals are, they play every single game in the morning so people can watch them in India on the television. I get that money's a big play in the world of cricket and I get that in bilateral series, but you would think that when you get to a World Cup the ICC should be a little bit fairer to everybody."

Michael Vaughan emphasized that while financial considerations are understandable in bilateral series, ICC tournaments should be impartial. "When you get to a World Cup, there cannot be any kind of sympathy or any kind of sway towards one team in the tournament. This tournament is purely set up for India, simple as that," he added.

Former Australia skipper Adam Gilchrist echoed Michael Vaughan's sentiments, acknowledging that even many Indian cricket fans recognize the bias. "There's a lot of Indian passionate cricket supporters who are very, very aware of that as well, and in agreement, sort of going it has compromised it to an extent," he said. 

Adam Gilchrist conceded that India has been the most consistent team, possibly alongside South Africa, but stressed that fairness should prevail in international tournaments.

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India are slated to play the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2024 against England on Thursday. The match will take place at Providence Stadium in Guyana. South Africa defeated Afghanistan in the first semi-final to reach their maiden T20 World Cup final.