Former England captain Michael Vaughan recently stirred controversy by accusing the ICC of favouring India in the T20 World Cup.
Vaughan claimed the scheduling was manipulated to benefit India, especially highlighting Afghanistan's flight delay before their semi-final match against South Africa. He argued that this delay prevented the Afghan team from practising and adjusting to the new venue.
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What did Michael Vaughan accuse BCC of?
Vaughan took to social media to voice his concerns. He criticized the ICC for disrespecting Afghanistan and suggested that the tournament schedule was skewed to favour India.
"So Afghanistan qualified for the WC semi, winning in St Vincent on Monday night .. 4 hr flight delay on Tues to Trinidad so no time to practice or get accustomed to a new venue .. utter lack of respect to players, I am afraid," Vaughan wrote in a post.
How did Ravi Shastri respond to Michael Vaughan's claim?
In response, former India head coach Ravi Shastri gave a sharp reply. Shastri questioned Vaughan's authority to comment on World Cup victories, pointing out that Vaughan himself has never lifted a World Cup trophy.
"Michael Vaughan can say what he wants. Nobody in India cares. Let him sort out the England team first. He should give advice on what happened to the England team in the semifinal. India are used to lifting Cups. I know England have won twice, but India have won four times. I don't think Michael's lifted a Cup ever. So think twice. He is a colleague of mine, but that's my answer to him," Shastri told Times Now.
While Vaughan raised concerns about fairness, Shastri's confident reply reflects India's pride in their cricketing achievements and dismisses the allegations.