"Utter lack of respect to players I am afraid" - Michael Vaughan blames 'India-centric' scheduling for Afghanistan's horrid show in T20 WC semis  

Former England captain Michael Vaughan felt that it was unfair for Afghanistan to play their semi-final fixture right after their final Super 8 game in the T20 World Cup 2024. Rashid Khan and co. were carved apart by South Africa in the first knockout clash, getting bowled out for a paltry 56 at the Brian Lara International Stadium in Trinidad.

The subcontinent side hardly had a say in the proceedings apart from winning the toss. After opting to bat first, Afghanistan lost five wickets in the powerplay itself, including the in-form opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. The Proteas put in a commanding bowling display as Afghanistan ended up posting the lowest total in T20 World Cup semi-final history.

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan had mentioned at the toss that the build-up to the encounter had not been smooth, primarily due to a flight delay.

"When you have a 4-hour delay flight, it's not easy. Doesn't matter if you sleep 1 hour, you have to be at your best," Rashid Khan said'

Michael Vaughan also defended Afghanistan following their dismal batting performance. Through a series of tweets, he explained how the scheduling, centered around India, has had a huge impact on Afghanistan.

"So Afghanistan qualify for the WC semi winning in St Vincent on Monday night .. 4 hr flight delay on Tues to Trinidad so no time to practice or get accustomed to a new venue .. utter lack of respect to players i am afraid. you surely earn the right in a semi final to have at least 1 days preparation," Vaughan posted on Twitter

"Surely this Semi should have been the Guyana one .. but because the whole event is geared towards India it’s so unfair on others," he added

The second semi-final between India and England has been scheduled to take place on Thursday, June 27 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The fixture was already assigned a morning slot in terms of local time, with India placed accordingly due to the pre-seeding rule.

Afghanistan on the verge of being eliminated from the T20 World Cup

Defending 57 runs in a T20 contest is a next-to-impossible task, but Afghanistan are putting in a good effort to stretch the game as far as possible. They struck early after Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Quinton de Kock in the second over.

Rashid Khan and co. tried everything they could against the Proteas, but the duo of Reeza Hendricks and Aiden Markram remained solid. South Africa were unbothered by the early blow and chased the total in 8.5 overs to make it to the finals of an ICC event for the first time.