Sports News | Dravid defends US leg of T20 World Cup, says 10.30am start was fine

Paris, July 29 (PTI) Former India coach Rahul Dravid has defended the heavily criticised American leg of last month’s T20 World Cup, saying “playing at odd hours” and dealing with “difficult” facilities were necessary “compromises” to bring cricket to a wider audience.

Given the enormous effort required to host the event in the region, Dravid was happy for the matches to start at 10.30am (local time) and for infrastructure to be used in New York, Florida and Texas.

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“Yes, in terms of facilities it is a challenge. But if you want to grow the game and make it a global sport, you have to be present at events like this and you have to compromise, even if that means playing at odd times in conditions that are not necessarily perfect,” Dravid said during a panel discussion on ‘Cricket at the Olympics: Dawn of a New Era’, marking the sport’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games here on Sunday.

Dravid coached India to their first ICC title in 11 years in the tournament co-hosted by the United States and the West Indies, which featured knockout matches.

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The United States’ first hosting of a cricket event was seen as a stepping stone to building a fan base in the region ahead of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In order to accommodate the large audience on the subcontinent, all Indian matches were held at 10.30am. This led to some criticism, as it was felt that the local Americans were not being counted.

“I don’t think it was a problem for me to start at 10:30, to be honest. We are in the entertainment business, which caters to people who want to watch the sport. I had absolutely no problem with it,” Dravid said.

The former India player said the early start ensured that both teams were evenly matched.

“As a coach, the conditions were quite even, because dew becomes a factor in a lot of day-night games. The toss can become a big factor, as we saw in Australia. But at 10:30 it wasn’t a problem; it was even-keel for both teams.

“From a coaching perspective, I didn’t mind the 10:30 a.m. game,” he said.

Dravid was joined by ICC CEO Geoff Allardice during the discussion and praised the umbrella body for its bold decision to bring the World Cup to the US.

“It was a great effort by the ICC to bring the game to the US and introduce that audience to the game. There is a huge passion for the game in the US. It was really fun to play in the US; some games were packed,” he said.

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