India’s Axar Patel celebrates after taking the wicket of Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan throughout the Champions Trophy 2025 match on the Dubai Worldwide Stadium, in UAE on February 23, 2025. — Reuters
DUBAI: The cricket fraternity has slammed India’s “undeniable” benefit of taking part in all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, whereas the opposite seven groups must shuttle between three venues in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
India refused to journey to hosts Pakistan for the event, due to safety issues and political tensions, and are taking part in all their matches on the Dubai Worldwide Cricket Stadium.
A stand-off between the rivals lasted for greater than a month, leaving plans for the event in jeopardy till the Pakistan board lastly agreed on a compromise with the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC).
The deal means Pakistan will play at a impartial venue in any ICC event hosted by India till 2027.
The choice was reached after Jay Shah — secretary of the highly effective BCCI — took over as ICC chairman in December on the headquarters of the sports activities’ governing physique in Dubai.
“I feel very uncomfortable about the way that India is being treated at the moment,” former England cricketer and widespread broadcaster Jonathan Agnew instructed ABC Sport.
“This is wrong. If you’re going to play an international tournament you can’t pick and choose where you play and where you’re not going to play.
“I do not see how lengthy this could keep on for? It makes a farce of those tournaments.”
The playing and pitch conditions in Dubai and the venues in Pakistan — Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi — are drastically different.
There has been no dew in Dubai in India’s first two wins with the highest total being 244 when Rohit Sharma’s team chased down 242 against Pakistan on a sluggish pitch.
Totals in Pakistan have been much higher with dew also playing a part, notably when Australia’s Josh Inglis hit an unbeaten 120 to chase down a tournament-record 352 against England at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
Obvious benefit
“What concerning the benefit India have in taking part in solely in Dubai — which appears to me to be a hard-to-quantify benefit, however an plain benefit?” former England captain Michael Atherton asked Nasser Hussain on the Sky Sports Podcast.
“They’re taking part in at only one venue. Subsequently, the choice, you realize, can give attention to the situations in Dubai,” he added.
India and New Zealand have moved into the semi-finals from Group A and will play each other in Dubai in the last group match on Sunday.
But irrespective of the placing, India will play their semi-final in Dubai on March 4.
The final will be played in Lahore on March 9, unless India qualify in which case it will be in Dubai.
Australia’s Pat Cummins missed out on leading his team in the eight-nation tournament — once called the mini World Cup — because of an ankle injury, but weighed in on the debate.
“I believe it is good in that the event can go on, however clearly, it does give them [India] an enormous benefit taking part in on the identical floor,” Cummins told Yahoo Australia.
“They already look very robust, and they have that apparent good thing about taking part in all their video games there.”
However, England skipper Jos Buttler played down the controversy.
“Not likely,” Buttler said after being asked if the schedule gave India an advantage.
“I believe it is a distinctive event already, is not it, with being hosted right here with one group taking part in in a special place however that is not one thing I am kind of nervous an excessive amount of about in the intervening time.”
