BCCI accuses ICC of favouring England

Accusing the International Cricket Council of "bending backwards" to protect the interests of the England and Wales Cricket Board on the issue of the World Cup match in Zimbabwe, the BCCI said on Thursday such a stand by the game's governing body has put India "to a lot of disadvantage".

"We find that the ICC management is bending backwards to protect the interest of the ECB and that too at the cost of other competitors' interest," Board of Control for Cricket in India president Jagmohan Dalmiya said in Kolkata.

He said the BCCI remained silent so far because "we wanted an amicable solution and granted sufficient time to the ICC to sort out the problem. Being a competitor placed in the same group as England, we were put to a lot of disadvantage".

Reacting to reports that the ICC is planning to grant another opportunity to the ECB to present new facts to justify their claims of shifting the match against Zimbabwe from Harare on security grounds, Dalmiya said: "These are intentional delaying tactics."

England were scheduled to meet Zimbabwe at Harare on Thursday but the match was not played. A final decision on its status is awaited.

"The intention of ECB appears to be intentional delay to pursue a 'wait and watch' policy to see the result of other group matches so that it could decide whether to go and play in Harare or skip it and still qualify for the Super Six."

Dalmiya, who shot off a letter to ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed during the day, demanded stern action like deduction of an additional four points from England's kitty and withholding its guarantee money if Zimbabwe, which has already hosted a World Cup match -- between Zimbabwe and Nambia -- is considered safe.