Claim: The cricket ground for the India vs England T20 World Cup semi final match was not covered during the rains on 26 June 2024. The field in Guyana, Georgetown was neglected in order to get the match cancelled, allowing India to qualify for the World Cup final.
Fact: The claim is false as the image of a wet outfield and a partially-covered ground is old. It is from a Pakistan vs West Indies series from August 2021.
Moreover, there have been no allegations of intentional neglect to the field in order to get the match cancelled.
On June 27, 2024, X user and sports enthusiast Farid Khan, with 162k followers, posted an image on X with the following caption:
“It rained in Guyana yesterday, but why was the ground not fully covered. Do they not want the match to happen?” He added an emoji of the Indian flag, insinuating that this was India’s attempt at having the semi-final match cancelled through unfair means, in order to qualify for the World Cup Final.
According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), if the India vs England match was washed out due to rain, the team that finished higher in their respective Super 8 group would progress to the final. In this case, India statistically had a higher chance of making it to the final if the match was cancelled.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check investigated the claim and found the post is misleading. The image used in the X post does not show the ground from 26 June 2024. It is from 1 August 2021, and was taken during a Pakistan vs West Indies match, as evidenced by the crowd in the stands. The original photograph is credited to AFP in an ESPN Cricinfo report on the outcome of the Pakistan vs West Indies match on 1 August 2021 which was suspended six minutes into the game.
In the T20 World Cup semi final, which took place on 27 June 2024, the ground conditions allowed the India vs England match to be played. However, it was cut short due to rain during the match. India was able to progress into the final after the match was suspended.
Virality
The viral X post received 740 likes and 93 retweets. A search using the same caption also showed other similar posts on X here and here.
On Facebook, the false claim was shared here.
Conclusion: A post on X falsely suggests that the cricket ground for the 2024 T20 World Cup semi final was intentionally neglected during the rains, to allow India to qualify for the World Cup final unfairly. The image used to support the claim in the post is from 2021, and not the day before the match.
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Background image in cover photo: Livemint.com
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