Former English captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain have slammed the ICC for what they see as a clear ‘unfair advantage’ to India.
The criticism comes from team India having all their matches scheduled in one venue, i.e. the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
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According to the former captains, playing at one venue gives India a huge advantage in squad selection, while the other teams have to make changes according to their venues.
Michael Atherton came forward to say, “India have a clear advantage as they are playing at one venue. They don’t have to travel from one country to another or from one venue to another. All the other teams are travelling.”
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Nasser Hussain also had similar thoughts as he remarked, “The best team in the tournament has been given that advantage. I saw a tweet the other day which said, ‘Pakistan is the host nation, but India have the home advantage…’
…It sums up everything. They play in one place and stay in one hotel, and they don’t have to travel for matches. They have one dressing room. They know the pitch and have picked players according to the track in Dubai.”
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He concluded, saying, “You can’t have a tournament without India and Pakistan. It had to be in Dubai.”
While India does have an advantage compared to other teams, one should also remember the long-standing geopolitical tensions with Pakistan, including the safety concerns for the players involved.
