England cricketers Kate Cross and Alex Hartley say they have received death threats and online abuse after criticizing the ICC’s scheduling for the Women’s T20 World Cup involving India. The criticism was linked to the placement of India in the semi-final schedule, which both players said was being treated as a separate issue from the team itself. They clarify that their comments were directed at the ICC’s tournament policy and the way match slots are allocated if a team qualifies, rather than at India or Indian players. According to the reporting, India was initially scheduled into an earlier semi-final slot if they advanced, a factor that drew scrutiny and was later interpreted by some as implying bias.
The dispute becomes less prominent after India is eliminated from the tournament, which returns the semi-final scheduling to the standard format. With the scheduling scenario no longer applying, the controversy is described as effectively resolved. The players’ clarification is presented as an attempt to correct the public understanding of their remarks after the backlash.
