“India pays the bills, so…” the BCCI and ICC attacked in a “startling” jab regarding the T20 World Cup Super 8 seeding.
Mark Butcher took a direct dig at the ICC for what he perceived as favoritism towards the Rohit Sharma-led side and the Indian audience.
It is a three-stage T20 World Cup before two teams make the final on June 29 in Barbados. The preliminary round comprised 20 teams divided into four teams of five each. The top two sides from each group then made the Super Eight stage,
where they were divided into two separate groups of four teams each. However, there was a twist in the rule. In a first-of-its-kind move made by the International Cricket Council (ICC), top eight ranked teams were assigned with pre-tournament seeds,
thus giving them the exact idea of which group they would land in the Super Eight and which venues they would play should they make the next round.
This decision, which subsequently nullified whether the team finished first or second in their respective groups, has significantly impacted the competitiveness of the tournament, raising concerns among the cricket community.
Amid widespread criticism from veteran cricketers and active players like Mitchell Starc, former England international Mark Butcher voiced his disapproval of the pre-decided Super Eight schedule in the T20 World Cup. He took a direct dig at the ICC for what he perceived as favoritism towards the Rohit Sharma-led side and the Indian audience.
Besides the pre-tournament seeding structure, Butcher was disgruntled that India are also aware of its venue and date for the semifinal, irrespective of whether they finish first or second in the Super Eight group.
Speaking on the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast, Butcher said: “That whole thing from start to finish, from the idea of where you finish first or second in the group stage didn’t matter where you ended up in Super Eights. And then one team knows which group it is going to be in the Super Eights and where its semifinal will be, meaning that the other team finishing second also knows where its semifinal will be is extraordinary.
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