The Champions Trophy is only a few days old and already, Australia have started cribbing. The British commentators were not far off either. India has been accussed of unfair advantage. I will write more about that. In the meantime, former Pakistan players have absolutely ripped their team apart with some savage remarks. As the tournament goes into the next week and the final week, if India go onto win the tournament, all sorts of theories will be laid. We Indians can only sit back, relax and laugh at those theories. News from the Champions Trophy.
First the comments
Let me begin with Cummins. Let us remember that Cummins is not playing this tournament because of some injury. “I think it’s good that the tournament can go on, but obviously it does give them (India) a huge advantage playing on the same ground. They already look very strong and they’ve got that obvious benefit of playing all their games there,” he said.
Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain commented, “What about the advantage India have in playing in Dubai, only in Dubai? Which seems to me to be a hard-to-quantify advantage, but an undeniable advantage,” said Michael Atherton in conversation with Naseer Hussain on Sky Sports Podcast.
“They’re playing at just one venue. They don’t have to travel either between venues or, you know, between countries, as a lot of other teams have to do.
“Therefore, the selection, you know, can focus in on the conditions in Dubai. And obviously, they’ll know where they’re playing their semi-final as and when they get through to that. That seems to me to be an undeniable advantage, but, you know, kind of hard to quantify how big an advantage,” he said.
My interpretation
I have always maintained that whenever India plays anyone, it is not a game between the two teams. This is especially the case when we play anyone of England, Australia & New Zealand. It is never a simple game between the two teams. Instaed, it is a game between the might of the BCCI and the host nation. The people from these countries wants to see India lose. These countries loathe the fact that India control the game through its people. I do not know whether the Indian players or the board realises this. This is the primary reason they must always keep winning. Winning series, winning tournaments and winning anything and everything.
Now, Cummins or Atherton or Hussain maybe correct on the advantage that India has. Ofcourse, they do not travel. Ofcourse they are not faced with different conditions. The point is that we didn’t ask for it. We would have been pretty happy to relax at home and watch the other nations fight among themselves. We are perfectly happy if not just our sports team but any sort of contact with Pakistan is curtained forever. The reason is political. It is not just Cummins or Atherton or Nasser. Almost everyone else will be having the same opinion. That is how the game is. We run the game and it is our cricket team that is most sought after by every nation. A tour by India will ensure that the host nation’s bills are paid. It is a fact. Unless a few other sports comes up in this country and gets as popular as cricket, the situation will remain the same. No nation will even be able to come close because the market in gigantic.
It is indeed political
Neither ICC nor any of the boards can afford to lose this market. Pakistan for all their decision to split the game between Dubai and Pakistan are still the ultimate host and they are bound to get a hefty share arising out of India’s decision to participate in the tournament.
The popular saying is that sports and politics must not be mingled but the fact is that they are always mingled. Why did Australia and England refuse to travel to Zimbabwe during the 2003 World Cup? It was political. Why is Australia or South Africa or New Zealand is refusing to play Afghanistan? It is political. Why did America refuse to travel to Moscow for the Olympics in 1980 and the reversal happened in 1984? It was political. There is no point in saying that sports and politics must not be mixed. For us the Indians, the sacrifice of our soldiers and our countrymen and women will forever trump any contact with Pakistan. Period.
Former Pakistan players wade into their current players
Mohammed Hafeez, “Since the Asia Cup in 2023, we were expecting this trio of Shaheen, Naseem, and Haris to deliver trophies for us. But they’ve been unsuccessful. The 2023 World Cup, a disaster. The 2022 T20 tournament in Melbourne, a disaster. And now, this Champions Trophy, another failure,” he said in PTV’s coverage of the Champions Trophy.
“It is time to realise that these guys, according to many people they have skills but these skills are not enough for them to win Pakistan the big tournaments. They are not proving themselves capable of helping Pakistan win a big tournament. Let’s move on from them.”
Shoaib Akhtar was even more savage
“We always compare Babar Azam to Virat Kohli. Now tell me who is hero of Virat Kohli? Sachin Tendulkar and he has scored 100 centuries and Virat is chasing his legacy,” Akhtar said on the show “Game On Hai”. “Who is Babar Azam’s hero? Tuk tuk (no mention of cricketer he is referring to),” he added.
“You have picked the wrong heroes. Your thought process is wrong. You were a fraud from the beginning. I would not even wish to talk about the Pakistan cricket team. I am only doing this because I am getting paid.”
Shoaib Akhtar has termed Babar Azam a fraud. This is as brutal as it can get. Babar Azam has a longway to go before he is even mentioned in the same lines as that of Kohli.
Prior to the start of the tournament, Shaheen Afridi skipped the South African series to prepare for the tournament. I wonder what he has achieved in the tournament. He was completely taken apart by India after he was taken to the cleaners by New Zealand. This fellow’s ego at this stage of his career is ridiculous. I am not bothered whether Pakistan drop these bowlers because I don’t care.
Wrapping up news from the Champions Trophy
Take it or leave it, when you are the sole bread winner in the family, you are allowed certain privileges.
Champions Trophy blogs
https://icricketcritique.com/indian-champions-trophy-squad/
https://icricketcritique.com/a-fabulous-win/
