Former England cricketer lashes out at ICC over Champions Trophy scheduling issues

Former England cricketer and well-known commentator David Lloyd has criticized the ICC for poor scheduling in the ongoing Champions Trophy. He called the tournament arrangements “farcical” and “embarrassing,” expressing disappointment over how teams were made to travel unnecessarily.  

The issue became more serious when South Africa had to travel back and forth between Dubai and Lahore before their semi-final against New Zealand. With the semi-final venues decided less than 48 hours before the matches, South Africa had to fly to Dubai after their group-stage games, only to return to Lahore for their knockout match.  

Although the South African players did not directly blame the hectic travel for their loss, the situation was difficult.  

Lloyd, known for his strong opinions, shared his frustration in a video on social media. “It’s really embarrassing that this is one of the most important events in world cricket, and the arrangements for playing are farcical,” he said.  

“It’s laughable that you have to do that. I mean, words fail me,” he added.  

The scheduling problems also affected Australia, who, like South Africa, had to travel to Dubai while waiting for the result of India’s match against New Zealand to know their semi-final fate. This uncertainty left both teams in a tough position.  

Adding to the issue, two important matches were scheduled in Dubai within just three days, making it difficult for teams to recover properly.  

Lloyd, 77, slammed the ICC for the confusion, saying it made no sense that teams did not know where they would be playing until the last moment.  

“You have teams who go from here to there; you might play here, you might not, you might have to go back,” he said.  

He also pointed out that India had an advantage since they played all their matches in Dubai. Unlike other teams that had to travel between countries, India stayed in one place and got used to the playing conditions.  

India made full use of this, defeating Australia in the semi-final and securing their place in the final.  

“The fact that you have two games in three days in Dubai… it’s just not right,” Lloyd said.