Kate Cross death threats

England Players Receive Death Threats For Criticizing ICC and BCCI

Monojit Das

Modified - Jun 30, 2026, 11:50 AM

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England women cricketers Kate Cross and Alex Hartley have received death threats for criticizing the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

During a show called No Balls: The Cricket Podcast, Kate Cross and Alex Hartley called out the ICC for its scheduling in the ongoing Women's World Cup. While labelling this move as "mental", Hartley slammed cricket's premier organisation for prioritizing a particular team.

Why Did England Women Cricketers Receive Death Threats?

After their podcast went viral, Kate Cross and Alex Hartley received death threats and abuses on the comment section of the video. The incident of Kate Cross death threats was revealed in another video that was uploaded again, where both players were seen clarifying their stance on the ICC and the BCCI, the richest cricket board in the world.

"That statement had nothing to do with India, and we are receiving death threats. That post received 450 comments. There seems to have been some confusion because I don't think what we said warranted the death threats and abuse we received," Cross said on the podcast.

Alongside Kate Cross, Alex Hartley death threats were also in the comments section. Hartley clarified by saying that the scheduling by the ICC was done to increase the viewership and attendance in the UK as well as the global audience. The current timings of the Women's World Cup suits both England and India, which is good for the tournament's viewership.

"We would like to clarify that this has nothing to do with India. According to the ICC, the scheduling was done to optimize viewership and attendance in the UK while also considering the global audience," Hartley said.

Clearly, Kate Cross comments on ICC didn't have a great response from the Indian fans. Their reaction prompted both Cross and Hartley to put another video.

India Fail to Qualify For Semis

Before the Women's T20 World Cup, India's semi-final fixture was already decided. The Women in Blue were due to play the first semi-final on June 30 to accomodate the Indian timings. The match will start at 7:00 PM IST, which is suitable for the Indian viewers.

However, India didn't qualify for the semi-finals as their campaign ended at the group stage. In a must-win game against the best women's cricket team in the world, Australia, they lost by a narrow margin and bowed out of the tournament.