India’s “undeniable” advantage of hosting all of their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, while the other seven teams must travel between three locations in Pakistan and the UAE, has been criticised by former cricket players and commentators.
Due to political unrest and security concerns, India declined to travel to Pakistan, the hosts of the 50-over competition. Instead, they will play all of their matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
Plans for the tournament were put at risk after a more than month-long standoff between the rivals, until the Pakistani board and the International Cricket Council ultimately reached an agreement.
According to the agreement, Pakistan would participate in any ICC tournament hosted by India till 2027 at a neutral location.
The decision was made at the sports governing body’s headquarters in Dubai in December, following the appointment of Jay Shah, secretary of the influential BCCI, as ICC chairman.
Jonathan Agnew, a well-known commentator and former England cricket player, told ABC Sport, “I feel very uncomfortable about the way that India is being treated at the moment.
“This is wrong. It is not possible to choose where you will play and where you will not participate in an international competition.I’m not sure how long this can go on. It turns these competitions into farce.
There are significant differences between the playing and pitch conditions in Dubai and Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
In India’s first two victories in Dubai, there hasn’t been any dew. The highest score was 244, achieved by Rohit Sharma’s squad when they chased down 242 against Pakistan on a slow pitch.
Dew has also contributed to considerably greater totals in Pakistan, most notably when Josh Inglis of Australia scored an undefeated 120 to chase down a tournament-record 352 against England at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
– ‘Huge’ advantage –
“What about the advantage India have in playing only in Dubai, which seems to me to be a hard-to-quantify advantage but an undeniable advantage?” Nasser Hussain was questioned by former England captain Michael Atherton on the Sky Sports Podcast.
“They are performing in a single location. As a result, the selection can concentrate on the circumstances in Dubai.
The last group match between India and New Zealand, who advanced from Group A to the semi-finals, will take place in Dubai on Sunday.
However, India will play their semi-final in Dubai on March 4, regardless of their position.
Unless India advances, in which case it would take place in Dubai, the final will take place in Lahore on March 9.
An ankle injury prevented Pat Cummins of Australia from captaining his team in the eight-nation competition, which was once known as the mini World Cup, but he still contributed to the discussion.
“I think it’s good in that the tournament can go on, but obviously, it does give them (India) a huge advantage playing on the same ground,” Cummins said on Yahoo Australia.
“They already look very strong, and they have got that obvious benefit of playing all their games there.”
However, Jos Buttler, the captain of England, downplayed the situation.
When questioned about whether India had an edge due to the schedule, Buttler responded, “Not really.”
“I think it’s a unique tournament already, isn’t it, with being hosted here with one team playing in a different place, but that’s not something I’m sort of worried too much about at the moment.”
