T20 World Cup: Shahid Afridi reacts to Pakistan journalist accusing ICC of bias towards India

Several controversies regarding India’s thrilling 5-run victory over Bangladesh have been buzzing around even though it has already become an old chapter now.

On Wednesday, the full-house Adelaide Oval experienced a dramatic turnaround of fortunes with the Rohit Sharma-led unit edging past their opponents in a rain delayed game. Following the win, India have almost paved their way to the semi-finals and also almost finished Pakistan’s chances of qualification.

After the match, Pakistani fans went on to point out some decisions which seemed biased towards India. A journalist, during a chat show on a television channel, claimed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) somehow wanted to make sure that India reached the semi-final. Notably, former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi was also present during the conversation.

In response to India’s mammoth 185-run target, Bangladesh started their innings with a bang thanks to the explosive batting by opener Litton Kumar Das. He went hard on Indian bowlers during the powerplay overs and took the side to 66 runs in 7 overs when rain caused an interruption.

During the break in the game, Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan was spotted discussing something with the on-field umpires as he predicted the wet outfield could become a major issue afterwards. But, the officials decided to resume the action after the rain had stopped.

The wet condition of the ground took a toll on Bangladesh as it turned out to be a come-and-go situation for their batters. Referring to that, the Samaa-TV reporter said, “It was obvious how wet the ground was. But I think the ICC has a bias in favour of India. They will stop at nothing to guarantee that India advances to the semifinals.” He also slammed the umpires of the previous India-Pakistan match and stated, “They will receive the best umpire awards.”

Afridi, in reply to these statements, did not make any straightforward comment but noted, “I am aware of what happened. When India is playing, there comes a lot of pressure on the ICC.” He also immensely praised Litton Das’ effort in the chase. The 28-year-old scored a quickfire 27-ball 60 but a direct throw from KL Rahul suddenly put an end to his knock.

According to Afridi, the fall of six wickets in just 40 runs after the break resulted in Bangladesh’s defeat. “The game restarted right after the break due to the amount of rain that had poured. Although there are several elements at play, Litton’s batting was exceptional. After six overs, we believed that Bangladesh would have won the game if they didn’t lose wickets for a further two or three overs,” the former Pakistan all-rounder added further.