BCCI defend rescheduling amid calls of bias
© Getty Images
||Desk Report||
A BCCI official has recently said that the rescheduling of the Super Four round in the Asia Cup was to ensure the maximum revenue for the hosting country, India. He also informed that other teams were aware of such arrangements before the tournament. This, however, now appears to be beneficial for India both on and off the field.
“We have to make a profit on this tournament,” the official reportedly said.
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) itself breached its previous Super Four scheduling format and placed India at the Group A champions’ position in the newly introduced schedule even though the actual topper of that group is yet to be decided, depending on the result of the India-Pakistan clash.
India will now get to play all their Super Four matches in Dubai, while the three other teams – Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan will keep traveling from Abu Dhabi to Dubai (or vice versa) on a game to game basis and adapt to different conditions in the unbearable heat.
“If you have to travel during matches for one and a half hour. It is difficult. And then train in this weather… It should be even for all teams. If there are matches in Abu Dhabi, all teams should play there,” Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistan skipper, reportedly said.
Apart from this scheduling blunder – which can also be seen as a compensation for arranging back-to-back matches for India in the group stage – the ACC have also upset the Bangladesh team captain as they have been treated like the B Group runners-up in the new fixture although their group’s top spot-deciding match is yet to take place.
“This morning we heard that we are already Group B runners-up regardless of whether we win or lose tomorrow. So of course it is disappointing,” Mortaza said after it emerged Afghanistan had become Group B toppers even before the clash against the Tigers.
