India slammed over ‘undeniable' advantage of playing all Champions Trophy matches in Dubai
DUBAI: Former cricketers and pundits have slammed India's 'undeniable' advantage of playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai, while the other seven teams have to shuttle between three venues in Pakistan and the UAE.
India refused to travel to hosts Pakistan for the 50-over tournament, because of security concerns and political tensions, and are playing all their matches at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
A stand-off between the rivals lasted for more than a month, leaving plans for the tournament in jeopardy until the Pakistan board finally agreed a compromise with the International Cricket Council.
The deal means Pakistan will play at a neutral venue in any ICC tournament hosted by India until 2027.
The decision was reached after Jay Shah — secretary of the powerful BCCI — took over as ICC chairman in December at the headquarters of the sports' governing body in Dubai.
'I feel very uncomfortable about the way that India is being treated at the moment,' former England cricketer and popular broadcaster Jonathan Agnew told 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 don't see how long this can carry on for? It makes a farce of these 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 Qaddafi Stadium.
'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?' former England captain Michael Atherton asked Nasser Hussain on the Sky Sports Podcast.
'They're playing at just one venue. Therefore, the selection, you know, can focus in on the conditions in Dubai.'
India and New Zealand have moved into the semifinals 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 semifinal 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 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 told Yahoo Australia.
'They already look very strong, and they have got that obvious benefit of playing all their games there.'
However, England skipper Jos Buttler played down the controversy.
'Not really,' Buttler said after being asked if the schedule gave India an advantage.
'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.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
18 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Dutch Delight but Coach, Captain Feel Win over Finland Could Have Been Better
There was Dutch delight as the Netherlands made an efficient start to their World Cup qualifying campaign on Saturday by winning away in Finland. Both coach Ronald Koeman and captain Virgil van Dijk expressed satisfaction with the 2-0 win in Helsinki at the start of their Group G campaign, but felt the victory could have been more decisive, Reuters reported. "I thought we started very well, quickly scored the opening goal," said Koeman of Memphis Depay's sixth minute effort. "That is what you always want, especially in these types of matches against a team that plays with a lot of people behind the ball. We did that well. "After about 30 or 35 minutes, I thought we were already a bit sloppy in possession. I also thought we no longer had real pressure on us. "We did not create many chances and that continued in the second half," added Koeman. "That may be logical, but you want to get even more out of a match like this. The result is fine, but I hope we play a better second half against Malta on Tuesday." The Dutch take on Malta at home in Groningen. Koeman had said last week that he felt his side were obliged to win the group given the quality of opposition. They also have Lithuania and Poland in their group. The team topping the standings qualify for next year's World Cup in North America while the runner-up goes into a playoff phase. "We've fallen a goal behind in many matches so it's great that we have now kept a clean sheet and took the three points," said Van Dijk. "The first hurdle is always difficult. Under these circumstances, almost two weeks after the end of the season, it is important that we have taken the three points," he added.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
What the Trump travel ban means for the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games
GENEVA: US President Donald Trump often says the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are among the events he is most excited about in his second term. Yet there is significant uncertainty regarding visa policies for foreign visitors planning trips to the US for the two biggest events in sports. Trump's latest travel ban on citizens from 12 countries added new questions about the impact on the World Cup and the Summer Olympics, which depend on hosts opening their doors to the world. Here's a look at the potential effects of the travel ban on those events. What is the travel ban policy? For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport They are Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Tighter restrictions will apply to visitors from seven more: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Trump said some countries had 'deficient' screening and vetting processes or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. How does it affect the World Cup and Olympics? Iran, a soccer power in Asia, is the only targeted country to qualify so far for the World Cup being co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico in one year's time. Cuba, Haiti and Sudan are in contention. Sierra Leone might stay involved through multiple playoff games. Burundi, Equatorial Guinea and Libya have very outside shots. But all should be able to send teams to the World Cup if they qualify because the new policy makes exceptions for 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the secretary of state.' About 200 countries could send athletes to the Summer Games, including those targeted by the latest travel restrictions. The exceptions should apply to them as well if the ban is still in place in its current form. What about fans? The travel ban doesn't mention any exceptions for fans from the targeted countries wishing to travel to the US for the World Cup or Olympics. Even before the travel ban, fans of the Iran soccer team living in that country already had issues about getting a visa for a World Cup visit. Still, national team supporters often profile differently to fans of club teams who go abroad for games in international competitions like the UEFA Champions League. For many countries, fans traveling to the World Cup — an expensive travel plan with hiked flight and hotel prices — are often from the diaspora, wealthier, and could have different passport options. A World Cup visitor is broadly higher-spending and lower-risk for host nation security planning. Visitors to an Olympics are often even higher-end clients, though tourism for a Summer Games is significantly less than at a World Cup, with fewer still from most of the 19 countries now targeted. How is the US working with FIFA, Olympic officials? FIFA President Gianni Infantino has publicly built close ties since 2018 to Trump — too close according to some. He has cited the need to ensure FIFA's smooth operations at a tournament that will earn a big majority of the soccer body's expected $13 billion revenue from 2023-26. Infantino sat next to Trump at the White House task force meeting on May 6 which prominently included Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. FIFA's top delegate on the task force is Infantino ally Carlos Cordeiro, a former Goldman Sachs partner whose two-year run as US Soccer Federation president ended in controversy in 2020. Any visa and security issues FIFA faces — including at the 32-team Club World Cup that kicks off next week in Miami — can help LA Olympics organizers finesse their plans. 'It was very clear in the directive that the Olympics require special consideration and I actually want to thank the federal government for recognizing that,' LA28 chairman and president Casey Wasserman said Thursday in Los Angeles. 'It's very clear that the federal government understands that that's an environment that they will be accommodating and provide for,' he said. 'We have great confidence that that will only continue. It has been the case to date and it will certainly be the case going forward through the games.' In March, at an IOC meeting in Greece, Wasserman said he had two discreet meetings with Trump and noted the State Department has a 'fully staffed desk' to help prepare for short-notice visa processing in the summer of 2028 — albeit with a focus on teams rather than fans. IOC member Nicole Hoevertsz, who is chair of the Coordination Commission for LA28, expressed 'every confidence' that the US government will cooperate, as it did in hosting previous Olympics. 'That is something that we will be definitely looking at and making sure that it is guaranteed as well,' she said. 'We are very confident that this is going to be accomplished. I'm sure this is going to be executed well.' FIFA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about the new Trump travel ban. What have other host nations done? The 2018 World Cup host Russia let fans enter the country with a game ticket doubling as their visa. So did Qatar four years later. Both governments, however, also performed background checks on all visitors coming to the month-long soccer tournaments. Governments have refused entry to unwelcome visitors. For the 2012 London Olympics, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko — who is still its authoritarian leader today — was denied a visa despite also leading its national Olympic body. The IOC also suspended him from the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Uzbekistan Savor Sweet Taste of Success after Sealing World Cup Spot
Uzbekistan coach Timur Kapadze lauded the efforts of his players after the Central Asian country qualified for the World Cup for the first time. The White Wolves claimed their spot at the expanded 48-team 2026 finals on Thursday with a 0-0 draw in the United Arab Emirates, which guaranteed Kapadze's side a top-two finish in Group A, alongside already-qualified Iran. Uzbekistan have tried and failed to qualify seven times since their independence after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, suffering heartbreak in the final stage of continental qualifiers for Germany 2006 and Brazil 2014. A genuine force in Asia since their 1994 Asian Games triumph, the Uzbekistan FA has invested heavily in youth development in the attempt to take the final step onto the world stage. Kapadze has reaped the dividends with a young generation of players, including Manchester City's 21-year-old center back Abdukodir Khusanov at his disposal. "We have achieved an important result after a long and difficult journey. A lot of work was done for this result, I sincerely congratulate our people," Kapadze told Uzbekistan's online publication Zamin. "This is not only our victory, but the victory of our entire people. Our players showed determination in every match, worked with all their might, and we achieved the result ... " Kapadze, who played 119 times for Uzbekistan and led the under-23 team at last year's Olympic Games, was appointed coach after Srecko Katanec left because of illness in January. "Before the game, (everyone) expressed their confidence in our team's victory and expected a good result from us," he said. "This confidence also became a great responsibility and pressure for us. But we managed to overcome this pressure and complete the task." Kapadze was mobbed by his players in his post-match press conference and received a congratulatory telephone call from Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. "In a fierce competition against the strongest teams in Asia, you demonstrated true character, unbreakable will, and professionalism," Mirziyoyev said.
