Veteran England cricketers Kate Cross and Alex Hartley have openly criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for what they describe as "absolutely mental" and "ridiculous" scheduling that explicitly favor the Indian team at the 2026 Women's T20 World Cup.
The backlash focuses on a specific playing condition mandated by the ICC for the tournament hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Under the tournament rule, the Group A winner plays the Group B runner-up, and the Group B winner plays the Group A runner-up. However, the ICC has inserted a clause ensuring that if Harmanpreet Kaur-led side qualifies for the semifinals, they are automatically locked into the first semi-final on June 30.
This fixed slot guarantees the Women in Blue play during prime-time television hours in India (8:00 PM IST), maximizing broadcast viewership and commercial advertising revenue in cricket's largest market.
Speaking on No Balls: The Cricket Podcast, Cross and Hartley argued that it is unfair for a global sporting body to distort tournament rules for a single country.
“Can we talk about the fact that I have seen today that if India qualify for the semis, they’re guaranteed to play in the Tuesday semi-final because the ICC thinks that it’s the best one for them to play in time-wise,” Cross said.
Hartley echoed similar sentiments, highlighting that the same practice has existed across ICC events. “It happens in men’s cricket, women’s cricket, all World Cups,” she stated.
Cross acknowledged the the commercial side of things but found it "absolutely mental" to give one team preferential treatment during a tournament.
“Everyone can plan it based on when India are gonna play. It’s absolutely mental. I don’t understand how you can go into a tournament and the governing body would prioritise one team like that. I know exactly why they’re doing it, but I think it’s absolutely ridiculous.”
Despite the scrutiny, Hartley noted that India might not even qualify for the semi-finals. “Yeah, it is bad but it’s looking like they might struggle to qualify anyway.”
India's semi-final qualification hopes hinge entirely on a must-win Group A encounter against Australia at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground on Sunday (June 28).
Australia lead the Group A table with 8 points, while India and South Africa sit tied at 6 points each. A victory over the six-time champions all but guarantees India's progression due to their healthy Net Run Rate (NRR) over South Africa.
