Former India cricketer Roger Binny, who is currently the President of BCCI, has hit back at ex-Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi after the latter commented that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is biased in India’s favour during global tournaments.
Afridi’s comments came after Bangladesh lost to India in the Super 12 fixture of ongoing T20 World Cup, effectively making Pakistan’s way to reach the semi-finals more difficult.
“You saw the ground how wet it was. But ICC is inclined towards India. They want to ensure India reaches the semi-finals at any cost. The umpires were also the same who officiated India vs Pakistan & will get the best umpire awards. Given the amount of rain that happened, the game resumed immediately after the break. It is very evident that many things were involved, the ICC, India playing (the game), the pressure that comes with it, and 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 had said on Saama TV.
Responding to Afridi’s comments, Binny said that the international apex body treats every nation equally. He admitted that BCCI is a big powerhouse in cricket, but it doesn’t get any special treatment from ICC.
“Not fair. I don’t think we’re favoured by ICC. Everyone gets the same treatment. No way in which you can say that. What do we get different from other teams? India is a big powerhouse in cricket, but we’re all treated the same,” Binny was quoted as saying to ANI.
After their win against Bangladesh, India are at the top of their group and quite close to qualify for the semi-finals of the multi-team tournament. Pakistan and Bangladesh will face each other in Adelaide on Sunday and have to look at the results of South Africa vs Netherland and India vs Zimbabwe games.