(Source X)
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has raised concerns about Team India’s advancement to the T20 World Cup final following their victory over England in the semi-finals on Thursday. India secured a convincing 68-run win after posting 171 runs and then dismissing England for 103. This victory marked India’s third T20 World Cup final appearance and their first since 2014, maintaining an unbeaten streak throughout the tournament.
In a critical stance aimed at the Indian cricket team, the BCCI, and Rohit Sharma, Inzamam-ul-Haq alleged that there appear to be different standards applied to India in this World Cup, suggesting favoritism by the ICC. His remarks were centered around the absence of a reserve day for the second semi-final clash between India and England. Inzamam-ul-Haq argued that if the match had been washed out, India would have automatically progressed to the final due to the rules in place.
Inzamam-ul-Haq has launched a new round of criticisms directed at Team India.
Inzamam said: “If you see the two semi-finals, only the India-England game does not have a reserve day. That’s because India have won all of their games and they will qualify for the final if the game is abandoned.”
“There are different rules for each match. When Pakistan were in a strong position in the Asia Cup, we suddenly had a reserve day for just one match,” he said, suggesting that India got a favorable scenario each time. India are in so much power right now that not even England can do anything. Cricket is being run by just one force. It is not the Big Three anymore, it’s the Big One,” he further added.
Earlier in this World Cup, Inzamam-ul-Haq had targeted the Indian cricket team on another occasion. He raised doubts about Arshdeep Singh’s ability to achieve reverse swing with the new ball and alleged India of engaging in ball-tampering during their match against Australia.
Arshdeep Singh had bowled a crucial spell of 3/37 in that match, where he managed to make the ball reverse swing as early as the 15th over. He dismissed David Warner early on with the new ball and later claimed the wickets of Matthew Wade and Tim David in the 18th over. Inzamam-ul-Haq had even urged the umpires to remain vigilant and “keep their eyes open” during the game.
Inzamam-ul-Haq had remarked critically about Arshdeep Singh’s bowling during the 15th over, suggesting that achieving reverse swing with the new ball at that point indicated preparation for it as early as the 12th or 13th over. He emphasized the need for umpires to be vigilant in observing such occurrences, implying that if Pakistani bowlers were in a similar situation, it would have been a significant issue.
Rohit Sharma responded firmly to Inzamam’s comments during his post-match press conference following the Australia game. He urged Inzamam to approach the matter with an “open mind.”
