‘ICC Are The Ones Who I Think Got A Problem’: Viv Richards Slams Governing Body For CT2025 Scheduling Fiasco

Last Updated:March 02, 2025, 17:21 IST

With India playing all their matches of the competition in Dubai, the final will also be at the Dubai International Stadium provided Rohit Sharma’s team makes the summit clash.

Viv Richards, Jay Shah (X)

Much has been said about India’s ‘unfair’ advantage of playing exclusively at Dubai through the 2025 Champions Trophy. But, West Indies legend Viv Richards believes that it’s not the Indian team who need to be questioned about the same, but the authorities such as ICC.

Not knowing if they would be playing their Champions Trophy semifinal in Dubai or in Lahore, both Australia and South Africa travelled to the UAE in anticipation as their opponent will be decided after the outcome of the India-New Zealand contest on Sunday.

While Australia travelled to the UAE on Saturday, South Africa were slated to board a flight out of Pakistan on Sunday.

With India playing all their matches of the competition in Dubai, the final will also be at the Dubai International Stadium provided Rohit Sharma’s team makes the summit clash.

Former England cricketers Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton had also recently said India have the advantage of not having to travel to the other venues.

“People may have a point when they say that. I guess that’s due to politics — I don’t want to get into the political side of things,” said Richards, who is a governing council member for the International Masters League.

“But I believe the people who are responsible, in terms of the governing and the ruling of the game in itself, which is the ICC, they’re the ones who I think got the problem.”

“I would like them to come up with an answer. Why? If they are the governing body of cricket, why is that happening at present? I honestly believe one of the things that can bring all of us together, fans and everyone, even enemies together, (is) sports,” he said.

Dubai is set to host the first semifinal on Tuesday, while Lahore will host the second on the next day. Australia and South Africa would have to wait on the result of the India vs New Zealand game to gain clarity regarding who they would face.

All of India’s games will be played in Dubai due to security concerns in Pakistan, and this means they would have to wait until tomorrow to see where they would be headed for their game. Should India secure a spot in the final, it would also mean that the title clash would be shifted to Dubai as well.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)