Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed hinted at favouritism shown towards India when he seemed dissatisfied with the fact that the defending champions were made to play all their matches in Dubai while the other sides were shuttled between different places.
The Rohit Sharma-led Indian team were initially slated to play two matches in Abu Dhabi but the schedule was changed to have them play all their games in Dubai.
Commenting on this, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed felt that this decision was tilted in favour of the Indians.
“If you look at the schedule, even if India lose pool match, they still play in Dubai. Travelling is an issue. If you have to travel 90 minutes and then play matches with a gap of a single day, then it is challenging,” said Sarfraz, as quoted by Deccan Chronicle.
He added, “I believe it should have been the same for all the teams, irrespective of whether it is India or Pakistan. I don’t know what was Asian Cricket Council’s thought behind this. I think PCB is looking into the matter.”
Later, it was learnt that the hosts BCCI decided against shifting the venues keeping in mind the commercial interests.
“The Dubai International Stadium has a capacity of 25,000 which is 5000 more than capacity of Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. For India versus Pakistan or India versus Bangladesh games, it is expected to be packed to capacity. BCCI is only getting the gate sales and how can we compromise on 5000 seats,” PTI quoted a senior BCCI official as saying, on conditions of anonymity.
Also read: Virat Kohli’s absence won’t affect India’s chances much: Sarfraz Ahmed