'The match resumed immediately after rain': Afridi on journalist's 'ICC India ko semis mein pohuchana chahta hai' claim
Shahid Afridi responded after a Pakistan reporter, in reference to the match restarting after the rain delay, went to the extent of saying that ICC is pulling all the stops to ensure that 'India reach the final'.
India inched closer to securing a berth in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup with a close five-run win over Bangladesh in their Group 2 Super 12 match on Wednesday. The rain-marred contest saw Bangladesh get off to an explosive start in their 185-run chase with opener Litton Das scoring a 21-ball half-century, but a rain interval hampered their momentum and chasing a revised target of 181 from 16 overs, B'desh lost wickets in a cluster, finishing on 145/6. When rain interrupted play, Bangladesh were 66/0 in 7 overs, ahead of the DLS par score of 49/0 by 17 runs and had the match not resumed, Bangladesh would have ended up as winners. However, that wasn't to be.
During the match, a couple of incidents attracted a bit of controversy. First, Shakib Al Hasan expressed his displeasure after the umpire signalled a wide after a gesture made by striker Virat Kohli. And later, when Kohli, while fielding feigned a throw, which Bangladesh wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan took exception to as he accused the former India captain of 'fake fielding'.
With the win, India went top of the table with six points, followed by South Africa at 5 and Bangladesh at 4. Ideally, 6 points are good enough to qualify for the final four but with a few matches still left, nothing is a guarantee given the current situation. The result also further diminished Pakistan's hopes of qualifying for the semis. After the match, during a show on a Pakistan TV channel, a reporter, in reference to the match restarting after the rain delay, went to the extent of saying that ICC is pulling all the stops to ensure that 'India reach the final'.
"Shakib Al Hasan bhi yehi keh rahe thhe. Aur woh screen par bhi dikhaya gaya. Aap ne ground dekhi... geeli thi. Par mujhe lagta hai ki ICC ka jhukaav jo hai, woh zara India ko kisi tareeke se semifinal pohuchaane ke liye kar raha hai. Aur umpires bhi wohi thhe jo Pakistan ke match mein the. Puuri duniya ke behtereen umpire ka award bhi unko jaana chahiye," he said live on SAMAA TV.
(Shakib Al Hasan said the same thing and it was shown on the screen as well. You saw the ground how wet it was. But I feel that the ICC is somewhat inclined towards India. They want to ensure that India reach the semifinals at any cost. And the umpires were also the same who officiated the India vs Pakistan game. The world knows they will get the best umpire awards).
Shahid Afridi, who is a panelist on the show responded to the claim, while showering praises on Litton. He pummelled 60 off 27 balls before getting run-out. After his dismissal, Bangladesh lost the plot as their next six wickets fell for 40 runs. Nonetheless, Afridi had nothing but wonderful things to say about Litton and reaction to what the journalist had to say about 'ICC's inclination towards India'.
"I know what happened. Given the amount of rain that happened, the game resumed immediately after the break. It is very evident that that ICC, then India playing, then the pressure that comes with it, there are many factors involved but Litton's batting was amazing. He played positive cricket. After six overs, we felt that if Bangladesh didn't lose wickets for another 2-3 overs, they would have won the match. Overall, the fight shown by Bangladesh was brilliant," Afridi pointed out.
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