Renowned commentator David Lloyd, a former England cricket player, has expressed his annoyance at the scheduling errors in a most recent ICC event. He said of the whole setup, “embarrassing” and “farcical.”
The debate got more heated when South Africa’s team discovered it was caught in a disorganized travel mess between Dubai and Lahore.
The Proteas were forced to fly from Dubai to Lahore and back again when the semifinal sites were confirmed less than 48 hours before the first game, therefore taxing the team unnecessarily.
Although none of the players specifically attributed their semifinal loss on the demanding travel, the circumstances were far from perfect.
Lloyd, known for his open opinions on ICC event administration, did not hold back when criticizing. “It’s really embarrassing that this is one of the most important events in world cricket, and the arrangements for playing are farcical,” he complained in a video uploaded on social media.
“Your having to do that is ridiculous. Words fall short, really, he said.
The disarray of scheduling affected not only South Africa. Both Australia and South Africa had to go to Dubai on Sunday; the result of India’s game against New Zealand will determine their semifinal fate.
This left the teams in flux, not knowing where they would go until the last group-stage results were known. Two important games also took place in Dubai over only three days.
His irritation also included what he saw as partiality toward India. Dubai is India’s base for the event, hence the team gained from a constant playing field.
India seized this advantage, defeating Australia in the semifinal and then moving on to the championship game.
