Former England captain Nasser Hussain has weighed in on the allegations that India benefited from favorable pitch conditions and scheduling during the T20 World Cup 2024. This discussion was already in the air before the Semifinal 2 game where eventually India registered a dominant 68-run victory over defending champions England, securing their berth in the final.
Criticism from former England cricketers
Critics, including former England cricketers Michael Vaughan and David Lloyd, have been vocal about what they perceive as advantageous conditions for India. They pointed out that India secured the second semi-final spot and did not play any matches under lights throughout the tournament. These claims gained traction following India’s decisive win over England.
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Nasser Hussain’s perspective
In contrast, Nasser Hussain disagreed with this viewpoint. He acknowledged that while the scheduling might have appeared favorable, India’s performance across varied conditions demonstrated their worthiness.
Hussain emphasized that India deserved their place in the final, having maintained an unbeaten record throughout the tournament. He underscored India’s adaptability, citing their victory against Australia on a bouncy pitch in St Lucia and their success on the spin-friendly surface in Guyana. According to Hussain, this adaptability showcased India’s credentials for reaching the final on merit.
“The narrative will be that everything on Thursday was geared towards India reaching the T20 World Cup final — the surface, the venue, all seemed to be in their favour. But if you look at things in greater detail, they came into this semi-final against England having just beaten 50-over world champions Australia on a bouncier, good pitch in St Lucia, and reverted to a lower, slower pitch and won comfortably. Fair play to them for the way they played and it feels right that India and South Africa, the two unbeaten sides in the tournament, go head to head in Barbados on Saturday,” Hussain wrote in his column for Daily Mail.
India’s semi-final performance against England
During the semi-final, India posted a challenging total of 171/7, with captain Rohit Sharma contributing 57 runs off 39 balls and Suryakumar Yadav adding 46 runs off 37 balls. These performances stabilized India’s innings after initial setbacks, and late contributions from all-rounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel bolstered the score.
In response, England faltered against India’s formidable bowling attack. Axar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav led the charge, dismantling England’s batting lineup. The defending champions were bundled out for 103 runs in 16.4 overs, securing India’s place in the final.
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