'Advantage for India' - England coach Matthew Mott accuses ICC of favoring Rohit Sharma & Co. in T20 World Cup 2024

England head coach Matthew Mott has made some significant comments ahead of the second semi-final between England and India in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. 

England were the first team to reach the semi-finals from Group Two after winning against West Indies and USA, South Africa is the other team that made the semis from that group. Eventually, they made it to their first men's T20 World Cup final after winning against Afghanistan. 

Mott, while addressing the pre-match press conference ahead of the second semi-final addressed a very poignant point. He said how India's knowledge of playing Guyana even before the tournament started could play a deciding role in the outcome of the match. 

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BCCI's position in the market currently in world cricket and ICC's economic revenue model is very much dependent on the value of broadcast rights in one dominant market. This is why every game India have played at this World Cup has started at 10.30 am local time, which equates to a primetime 8 pm spot for the huge television audience back home. 

Meanwhile, England got to know on Monday that they will be playing the second semi-final against India once the Super 8s come to an end. This has raised questions about partiality and favoritism. When asked to Rohit Sharma about knowing playing in Guyana beforehand he said "I don't see this as an advantage. You've got to play good cricket to win a cricket game: that's how I look at it."

However, on contrasting points, England head coach Matthew Mott believes that India's knowledge of their semi-final venues does play to their advantage. 

"We knew all about it from the start, and that's a decision way above my pay grade. And to be honest, I think it could be an advantage for them" Mott told ESPNcricinfo at Providence before England trained on Wednesday.

Rain To Play Spoilsport in Second Semi-Final

Meanwhile, there is a forecast of heavy rain in Guyana for the second semi-final. There are reports that it has been raining in Guyana in the last week but the weather has been better in the last 48 hours. There is no reserve day for the second semi-final. The cut-off time for a ten-over-a-side game could start as late as 4.14 pm local time, which will be 5 hours and 44 minutes after the scheduled start. In case the match is washed out India will qualify for the final as they finished at the top of their group in the Super 8s. 

"It's something we've known about since the start of the tournament, so to cry foul over it now probably doesn't make a lot of sense," I'm not going to lie: it would be great to have a reserve day because the weather can change from day to day, but I think there will be enough time to get some cricket in… Maybe that's something the ICC need to look at, [in the] long term,"  Mott said. 

He concluded by keeping a word on the pitch and what the ground conditions might be like saying "One of the things that has come out [of England's research] is that it's actually not a huge turning ground: it's more to do with the lack of bounce where spin comes into play. We've certainly chatted a lot about it as a spin group, making sure that we keep the stumps in play" Mott concluded.

Also Read: England Playing 11 vs India - ICC T20 World Cup 2024, Semi Final 2