English cricketers Alex Hartley and Kate Cross alleged that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is trying to ensure that India reach the semi-finals of the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup. Both claimed that the ICC favors India and works with the BCCI to keep high-revenue teams in the tournament for financial reasons.
Comments came before The team led by Harmanpreet Kaur will have to win the match against Australia. At Lord’s on Sunday, June 28. They need a win over the undefeated defending champions to book a place in the semi-finals. If India loses and South Africa beats Bangladesh, their campaign will end.
Alex Hartley and Kate Cross allege ICC is favoring India
Kate Cross said the ICC had already planned the semi-final schedule to ensure it would be played on Tuesday if India qualified. He alleged that the decision was made to suit the television audience rather than maintain a fair tournament structure.
“Can we talk about the fact that I saw today that if India qualify for the semi-finals, they are guaranteed to play in Tuesday’s semi-finals because the ICC feels it is best for them to play in terms of time,” Kate Cross said.
Hartley supported the claim, saying that such scheduling decisions have happened at both the men’s and women’s World Cups. Cross said the ICC was giving preference to one team over others for commercial reasons.
“Men’s cricket, women’s cricket, it happens in all World Cups,” Alex Hartley said.
Kate Cross said, “Everyone can plan based on when India will play. It is absolutely mental. I don’t understand how you can go to a tournament and the governing body will give priority to one team. I understand why they are doing it, but I think it is absolutely ridiculous.”
Alex Hartley said, “Yes, it’s bad, it’s bad, but it looks like they may struggle to qualify.”
🚨🤯Shocking: Kate Cross and Alex Hartley believe ICC is showing favoritism towards BCCI
“Can we talk about the fact that, if India qualifies for the semi-finals, they are guaranteed to play in Tuesday’s semi-finals as the ICC believes that is the best slot… pic.twitter.com/i5wt0Ah6K3
– Indian Cricket Ministry (@Tejashyyyyyy) June 28, 2026
India must win the test against Australia
India’s Women’s T20 World Cup campaign has reached an important milestone. To strengthen their chances of reaching the semi-finals, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team will have to defeat Australia at Lord’s. The performance of the entire team will be important in this high-pressure match.
India have shown a lot of fight throughout the tournament but there are still some concerns. The middle order has struggled for consistency, the fielders have dropped crucial catches and the pace attack has not made enough of an impact with the new ball.
Despite those setbacks, India remain in the race with crucial wins in Birmingham, Leeds and Manchester. Another win at Lord’s will put them in a strong position to qualify for the semi-finals.
Australia close to semi-finals despite qualifying ups and downs
Australia could not have asked for a better group-stage campaign, having won all four of their matches so far. However, they have not officially confirmed a place in the semi-finals as qualification is still mathematically open.
Australia would need a number of unexpected results to miss out. Batting first, South Africa will have to score 200 runs and defeat Bangladesh by 167 runs. After this, India will have to beat Australia by 91 runs or chase the target with 11.5 overs remaining.
Both teams will know the qualification scenarios before the toss. Australia would like to continue their unbeaten streak, while India will aim to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
