Yeah, Cavendish getting a 1st, 3rd, 4th and 8th in Giro 2023 sprint stages was purely by some connivence of the rest of the peleton. Points are given for the first 15th finishers on a stage because you don't end up in the first 15 at the finish by accident. So for a former sprinter with no specialist lead-out train to do that, the only conclusion must be some form of put up job. How could anyone other than utter dupes believe that ability to actually sprint might come into it.
A number of top sprinters are already out of the race. A number of topsprinters weren't well placed, made tactical errors. THe points didn't matter anymore as the points classification was already decided. So those who couldn't win had no incentive to continue sprinting to the line.
Add to that the near absence of team lead out trains, it came down to luck and the ability to read a sprint. And an older sprinter is nearly always the better tactician.
