The last and last match between India and New Zealand is scheduled for March 9th, marking the end of the Champions Trophy. The ICC and PCB have been receiving a lot of criticism regarding the scheduling, despite the fact that the tournament has already seen some fantastic matches.
The way the competition was organised has disappointed both the participants and the experts. David Lloyd “Bumble” Lloyd, an English commentator and pundit, also voiced his dissatisfaction on social media with the tournament’s scheduling.
In addition to pointing out how this was impacting the players competing in the ICC event, David Lloyd publicly said that the tournament’s arrangements were ridiculous and disgraceful.
“The fact that this is one of the biggest and most significant cricket games in the world and the playing arrangements are ridiculous is extremely disgusting. The fact that you must do it is absurd. According to NDTV, Bumble said, “I mean, words fail me.”
It’s just bullshit. I am at a loss for words; this is a global phenomenon. There are teams that travel from one place to another; you may play here or there, or you may need to return. The former England cricket player remarked, “I’m a pretty funny guy, and I think that’s pretty funny actually, but it’s not so funny if I’m one of the players.”
Watch the video below:
David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd regarding some teams having to travel from Pakistan to UAE and back to Pakistan while India play all their matches in Dubai “it’s farcical, it’s laughable, it’s nonsense” #CT25 #Cricket pic.twitter.com/tC5qunbWUx
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) March 5, 2025
A huge challenge for India in the final
While the traveling and scheduling have been a challenge, the Indian team might face a massive challenge in the upcoming final. India will be up against New Zealand, which has a great record against them in ICC knockout events.
India is yet to defeat the Blackcaps in an ICC knockout event, losing to them in the 2000 Champions Trophy final in Kenya and the WTC Final at Lords in 2021. This will be the third time the two teams will play each other in an ICC final.
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