"India can pretty much do what they like, can't they?" - England coach Jon Lewis laments disparity in training facilities after World Cup elimination
England women's team head coach Jon Lewis has spoken out against the apparent bias when it comes to training facilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the ongoing T20 World Cup. He called out the organizers for allowing India to practice on the centre-wicket in Sharjah while the other teams had to prepare at the ICC Academy.
England suffered a shock defeat to the West Indies in their final group stage game to fail to qualify for the semi-finals. This marked the first instance where the inaugural winners of the competition failed to qualify for the final four since the 2010 edition. The Heather Knight-led side had come into the competition as one of the favorites, and had made a perfect start to the campaign by winning three matches on the trot.
However, in the end, an inferior net run rate proved to be England's undoing. Another factor was their dismal fielding effort. The team, who played their first three matches at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, could not handle the infamous 'Ring of Fire' floodlight system in Dubai.
A total of five dropped catches, including three by Maia Bouchier, led to Lewis stating that England's lack of training at the venue played a part.
"No one's had an opportunity to train here (Dubai International Stadium). We've been training in the ICC Academy down the road," Lewis told after England's elimination via Wisden.
It is to be noted that all ten teams had used the facilities at the ICC Academy to prepare for the tournament. Two teams, in the form of Scotland and India, had reportedly availed the opportunity to train at the main wicket at the Sharjah Cricket Ground. The Women in Blue had practiced at the venue after playing their first three games elsewhere, a similar predicament to England.
"I didn't know they did that. I didn't know. India can pretty much do what they like, can't they? Is that how it works?" Lewis retorted.
India ended up on the losing side against Australia by nine runs. They would have played the semi-final at Sharjah had they qualified, but they could only finish third with four points to their name.
"All other teams had the opportunity of training in Sharjah" - ICC spokesperson counters England's claims
According to the ICC, only India asked for permission to train in Sharjah, an option which was reportedly open to all, but not availed.
"All other teams had the opportunity of training in Sharjah," an ICC spokesperson told ESPN Cricinfo.
There are three matches remaining in the tournament - the two semi-finals and final, with Sharjah slated to host the second knockout clash while Dubai has been assigned the rest.