The disappointing performance of the Afghanistan cricket team in the T20 World Cup semifinal against South Africa, which came just a day after a historic victory against 2021 T20 World Cup champions Australia, sparked controversy around the cricket world. Former England captain Michael Vaughan accused the tournament organisers of favouring India with the scheduling.

Vaughan criticised the decision to fix India's semifinal venue in Guyana, arguing that it was unfair to other teams.

"So Afghanistan qualified 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," tweeted Vaughan. “Surely this semi should have been the Guyana one .. but because the whole event is geared towards India it's so unfair on others .. #T20IWorldCup.”

However, his tweet was met with a strong rebuttal from former India head coach Ravi Shastri.

Shastri questioned Vaughan's qualification to criticise the scheduling, while defending the organisers and the tournament's quality. He denied Vaughan's allegations, claiming that all teams were treated equally and that such accusations were baseless.

Speaking to Times Now on Friday, the former Indian cricketer added, "Michael can say what he wants. Nobody in India cares. Let him sort out the England team first. He should give advice on what happened to the England team in the semifinal. India are used to lifting Cups. I know England have won twice, but India have won four times. I don't think Michael's lifted a Cup ever. So think twice. He is a colleague of mine, but that's my answer to him."