ODDS IN THEIR FAVOUR India's players look on as they leave the field after winning the ICC Champions Trophy one-day international (ODI) cricket match between New Zealand and India at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on March 2, 2025. Picture: Giuseppe Cacace/ AFP
Image: Giuseppe Cacace/ AFP
India’s refusal to play cricket in Pakistan has once again, this time in the Champions Trophy, demonstrated just how much sway they have in the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Though India’s refusal to play in Pakistan is nothing new, due to safety concerns over its players and staff, it speaks to the double standards at play in world cricket.
The Proteas qualified for the semi-finals on Saturday, even before their match against England was over as their net run-rate guaranteed their progression.
As Australia and South Africa both qualified for the semis from Group B, both sides flew from Pakistan to Dubai. They would then have to wait and see who finished top of Group A, with India taking on New Zealand on Sunday.
India thumped New Zealand by 44 runs in Dubai, which meant they finished top of their group.
It means India will now play Australia on Tuesday in Dubai, while the Proteas would take a plane back to Pakistan to play New Zealand on Wednesday in Lahore.
It’s a quite farcical cricket scenario that all India games are played at one venue, which gives them a substantial advantage before they even take the field.
Earlier in the tournament, Proteas batsman Rassie van der Dussen spoke about their obvious advantage as they play at a single venue while the other seven teams had to travel for the duration of the tournament.
India have not played in Pakistan since 2008, and that’s probably not going to change soon. The Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI) also receives almost 40% of the ICC cricket funding on an annual basis.
It’s for that reason that the BCCI is able to dictate matters like this to the ICC, and though the solution would be to ban India from a tournament which takes place in Pakistan, that would never actually happen as it would be a financial disaster for the event.
With the tournament co-hosted in Pakistan and UAE, it was always to accommodate India. In fact, it will be difficult to see any team other than India going on to win the tournament, but there will always be an asterisk behind their name if they take the title.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
** JOIN THE CONVERSATION: Send us an email with your comments, thoughts or responses to iolletters@inl.co.za. Letters should be a maximum of 500 words, and may be edited for length. Anonymous correspondence will not be published. Submissions should include a contact number and physical address (not for publication).