India will face New Zealand in the CT final (Source:AP)
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has come under heavy criticism for its chaotic scheduling and logistical confusion, with former England cricketer David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd calling the situation 'farcical' and 'embarrassing.'
The controversy stems from India playing all their matches in the UAE due to BCCI’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan. This Hybrid Model has led to significant travel challenges for other teams.
Commenting on the logistical chaos in a video posted on X, Lloyd did not hold back and made brutal comments:
“It really is embarrassing that this is one of the highest, most important events in world cricket – Champions Trophy, and the arrangements of playing are farcical. It’s laughable, that you have to do that. I mean, words fail me," Lloyd said.
“It is just nonsense. I really don’t know how else to describe it, this is a world event. You have teams who go from here to there, you might play here, you might not, so you have to go back. I’m quite a humorous guy and I think that’s quite funny actually. It’s not so funny if I’m one of the players," he added.
Lloyd Criticise ICC For Champions Trophy Scheduling
Group A teams, including Bangladesh, New Zealand, and host Pakistan, had to fly to Dubai to play their matches against India. Meanwhile, South Africa and Australia, the top two teams from Group B, were left in limbo before the semifinals, as they had to wait for India’s last group-stage match against New Zealand to determine their venues.
South Africa faced an exhausting 18-hour stopover in Dubai before returning to Pakistan for their semifinal against New Zealand in Lahore. It is important to mention that the tournament's scheduling have faced several issues and have sparked widespread debate among certain players.
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