Why have India been exempted from travelling to Abu Dhabi during the Asia Cup?

[MenInG]

From Sarfaraz Ahmed's presser today:

"It's true that India plays all their matches here at Dubai even if they lose any matches. Travelling is such an issue that if you travel for 90 mins between games, it can be quite difficult in this weather. I think it should be even for all teams whether it's India or Pakistan. If there are matches in Abu Dhabi then every team should play 1-2 matches there. I don't know that the ACC conduct regarding this is"

 

[Slim]

I think it was ACC's way of consoling BCCI's hurt ego. Lollipop for the wailing baby. Also, BCCI managed to get this favour after Najam Sethi left PCB and thus ACC's president-ship as well.

 

[MenInG]

From Sarfaraz Ahmed's presser today:

"It's true that India plays all their matches here at Dubai even if they lose any matches. Travelling is such an issue that if you travel for 90 mins between games, it can be quite difficult in this weather. I think it should be even for all teams whether it's India or Pakistan. If there are matches in Abu Dhabi then every team should play 1-2 matches there. I don't know that the ACC conduct regarding this is"

Sarfaraz is right to be miffed about this.

One Indian journo was saying its tough for India to play back to back games and here we are, India not travelling to AD!

 

[BaankeJi]

Sarfaraz is right to be miffed about this.

One Indian journo was saying its tough for India to play back to back games and here we are, India not travelling to AD!

India are being compensated for playing back to back games.

 

[JattMaula]

Maybe BCCI is too poor to travel in UAE?

 

[Saj]

The way the current match is going they might have been happier not playing in Dubai.

 

[BD-fan]

Maybe BCCI is too poor to travel in UAE?

Post of the week for me.

 

[Gotham Cronie]

India are being compensated for playing back to back games.

Bangladesh and Afghanistan are going to play back to back as well on Thursday and Friday.

 

[slipcatch]

BCCI need to be seen as a dominant organization and this is their way to show domination.

90 mins of travelling on a Air condition Buss is nothing, ICC didn't ask them to travel on a camel.

 

[j_kazmi]

I’m sure if given the choice the Indian players would’ve preferred to travel to Abu Dhabi then play two matches in a row.

Especially after how close today’s match was.

 

[dhonixi]

I hope Sarfaraz even asked about playing match back to back. He is completely fine with India playing back to back and crying about this one. Hypocrite.

 

[sshakir411]

Deluded Indian fans seriously believe their team is the only one playing back to back games.

 

[Syed1]

I hope Sarfaraz even asked about playing match back to back. He is completely fine with India playing back to back and crying about this one. Hypocrite.

Other teams are also playing back to back.... why crying so much? scared off upcoming phainti?

 

[dhonixi]

All other teams will play in round robin fixture but when schedule got fixed then it is only done with India by ACC whose chairman is Nazam sethi. If this done with pakistan, then your whole country will still crying by saying BCCI's conspiracy. And no one in India's camp mention it once but now Sarfaraz is crying that India is only playing in Dubai. Only cry baby here is chotu sarfaraz.

 

[bala977]

From Sarfaraz Ahmed's presser today:

"It's true that India plays all their matches here at Dubai even if they lose any matches. Travelling is such an issue that if you travel for 90 mins between games, it can be quite difficult in this weather. I think it should be even for all teams whether it's India or Pakistan. If there are matches in Abu Dhabi then every team should play 1-2 matches there. I don't know that the ACC conduct regarding this is"

Clever guy this Sarfraz.

If Pak loses tomorrow (highly unlikely scenario), he has a ready excuse - ICC and ACC favoured India. If Pak wins, no one would even remember this comment.

 

[cricketindiafan]

Funny how arguments have been reversed now! Whole scheduling of this tournament has been a sham right from the beginning. India were right to complain against back to back matches, now Pakistan are fully justified in all teams being treated unevenly

 

[hadi123]

Scheduling is awful for this tournament. Why will there be 2 matches a day in super 4, then a rest the next day and so on. Should have had 1 match per day.

 

[Gotham Cronie]

Scheduling is awful for this tournament. Why will there be 2 matches a day in super 4, then a rest the next day and so on. Should have had 1 match per day.

That would lead to teams playing consecutive days in the Super 4, no?

21-Sep A1 v B2 B1 v A1
22-Sep
23-Sep A1 v A2 B1 v B2
24-Sep
25-Sep A1 v B1
26-Sep A2 v B2
27-Sep
28-Sep Final

 

[K4Kohli]

haha. Sarfaraz got his excuse ready for tomorrows Thrashing by India #trashtalk #IndiaVsPak #bringiton

 

[Monsee]

haha. Sarfaraz got his excuse ready for tomorrows Thrashing by India #trashtalk #IndiaVsPak #bringiton

Or else you will be picking up some matches and stones, right?

 

[Balthazar]

Deluded Indian fans seriously believe their team is the only one playing back to back games.

There should be one other team getting few days of rest between each games. We are playing back-to-back games and you are going to be traveling. That's a fair deal to me.

 

[GenericBrand]

There should be one other team getting few days of rest between each games. We are playing back-to-back games and you are going to be traveling. That's a fair deal to me.

What about for the teams playing B2B with traveling in between, right before their Round Robin match?

 

[Sanzcool]

Read somewhere since we were the hosts earlier, we have got this advantage of playing just in Dubai.

 

[the_outsider]

Read somewhere since we were the hosts earlier, we have got this advantage of playing just in Dubai.

This. I read this too.

 

[ARK Rafay]

BCCI had an influence. Anyways, Pakistan won't have much trouble playing in Abu Dhabi and it might suit our batting and bowling there under lights.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Read somewhere since we were the hosts earlier, we have got this advantage of playing just in Dubai.

We are still the hosts. Uae is the venue.

 

[hadi123]

That would lead to teams playing consecutive days in the Super 4, no?

21-Sep A1 v B2 B1 v A1
22-Sep
23-Sep A1 v A2 B1 v B2
24-Sep
25-Sep A1 v B1
26-Sep A2 v B2
27-Sep
28-Sep Final

I never thought of it that way, that's true but there could be bigger gaps then. Ie more rest days, seems like they just wanted to get this tournament out of the way quickly.

21 September could be Afghanistan vs India
22 September could be Pakistan vs Bangladesh

23 could be a rest day.


And so on. But I think they want this tournament over ASAP hence they have rushed it so much.

I think the overall format the Asia Cup is wrong.

Should have just done 1 group of 6


India
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Afghanistan
Sri Lanka
Hong Kong

Every 1 plays each other once. Top 2 make the final. Or possibly top 4 make the semi final but then games wouldn't have much context. Maybe the top team qualifies for the final and 2nd plays 3rd to join them in the final. Basic stuff this.

Maybe someone involved in the scheduling could do an events management degree.

 

[Walid88]

Bangladesh not only playing back to back matches but also they have to travel before their important clash against india!

 

[the_outsider]

Bangladesh not only playing back to back matches but also they have to travel before their important clash against india!

Ghanta travelling. Dubai is 80 mins away by road.

 

[Sachin136]

For the same reason that Pakistan is exempted from playing back to back matches unlike India, Bangladesh etc.

Also, they don't walk between cities, so I don't see what the issue is.

 

[Gotham Cronie]

I never thought of it that way, that's true but there could be bigger gaps then. Ie more rest days, seems like they just wanted to get this tournament out of the way quickly.

The international calendar is tight.

The IND v WI series begins 6 days after the Asia Cup Final.

They fit it in where and how they could.

21 September could be Afghanistan vs India
22 September could be Pakistan vs Bangladesh

23 could be a rest day.


And so on. But I think they want this tournament over ASAP hence they have rushed it so much.

Problem is that I think the all important Pak v Ind match on the weekend. There was already a bunch of uproar when they scheduled the dead rubber for a Wednesday.

 

[hadi123]

The international calendar is tight.

The IND v WI series begins 6 days after the Asia Cup Final.

They fit it in where and how they could.



Problem is that I think the all important Pak v Ind match on the weekend. There was already a bunch of uproar when they scheduled the dead rubber for a Wednesday.

I think more people about the Asia Cup than a India series vs West Indies, we all know what the result will be, should prioritise making Asia Cup looking like a proper tournament as opposed to some joke that finishes so soon.

 

[Gabbar Singh]

Some people are acting as if the players are having to trek through the Himalayas to get from one match venue to the other. Really don’t understand this whole Dubai-Abu Dhabi commuting kerfuffle.

 

[KevinFern]

BCCI need to be seen as a dominant organization and this is their way to show domination.

90 mins of travelling on a Air condition Buss is nothing, ICC didn't ask them to travel on a camel.

I'm sure that applies for sarfaraz too. He too can travel for 90 minutes in an air conditioned super luxury bus.

 

[cricketindiafan]

I think more people about the Asia Cup than a India series vs West Indies, we all know what the result will be, should prioritise making Asia Cup looking like a proper tournament as opposed to some joke that finishes so soon.

Look at it from BCCI’s perspective. Why would they care more about Asia Cup over home series vs WI? Home series earns them the TV rights moolah (approx. 10 million dollars per match), Asia Cup money goes to ACC which BCCI does not care much about at least not when PCB have dragged them to courts and there is total lack of trust between PCB and BCCI. The day relations between BCCI and PCB improve again, Asia Cup will be a properly organised tournament again.

 

[BlackShadow]

Deserved. 3 matches in 4 days is something no other team had to go through.

 

[BlackShadow]

Lmao, did Sarfaraz really call travel to Abu Dhabi difficult?! It seems the crying phase has started already.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Total Travel Time Total Rest Time
Afg 9hrs 141hrs
Pak 6hrs 164hrs
Ban 3hrs 140hrs
Ind 0hrs 174hrs

 

[Balthazar]

Total Travel Time Total Rest Time
Afg 9hrs 141hrs
Pak 6hrs 164hrs
Ban 3hrs 140hrs
Ind 0hrs 174hrs

India is playing 3 games within 4 days. How did you even calculate this?

 

[the_outsider]

Total Travel Time Total Rest Time
Afg 9hrs 141hrs
Pak 6hrs 164hrs
Ban 3hrs 140hrs
Ind 0hrs 174hrs

Data doesn't add up.

If India reach the finals they would play 6 games in 10 days which is the shortest turnaround time for any of the teams.

Rest time + travel time should add up to similar numbers for all teams.

 

[Balthazar]

If they are considering time gap before the start of first match, then they couldn't be more wrong.

 

[virat2]

Cannot get the frustration behind lot of posters here. India are the hosts. Pakistan does not want to play in India. So as hosts they get to play from same location.

 

[BaankeJi]

Ghanta travelling. Dubai is 80 mins away by road.

True. Traveling is not a pain point. Pain point is playing on two successive days.

 

[the_outsider]

True. Traveling is not a pain point. Pain point is playing on two successive days.

Simon Doull was talking about this on Cricbuzz about how this was not uncommon during the 90s. They showed stats how NZ played B2B multiple times in Sharjah in the 90s.

Now with player's associations in every country, they have established rules such as 2 rest days between games, etc. While it's true that it will take a toll on the players, I think as professionals playing at the highest level, all teams should just get on with it. It's only 1 tournament. They don't have to do this year in year out.

 

[silent ischemia]

Secondly toss doesn't matter as much in Dubai as in AD. Batting first is a huge advantage in AD compared to Dubai as it swings more and a slightly older ball grips more.
It will be difficult for Pakistan if they are forced to chase against Afghanistan today

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Simon Doull was talking about this on Cricbuzz about how this was not uncommon during the 90s. They showed stats how NZ played B2B multiple times in Sharjah in the 90s.

Now with player's associations in every country, they have established rules such as 2 rest days between games, etc. While it's true that it will take a toll on the players, I think as professionals playing at the highest level, all teams should just get on with it. It's only 1 tournament. They don't have to do this year in year out.

Not just NZ in Sharjah, all teams had such schedules until around 2000/01 season .

 

[slipcatch]

I'm sure that applies for sarfaraz too. He too can travel for 90 minutes in an air conditioned super luxury bus.

He is and he will be.

 

[fitCricFan]

Well, like it or not, BCCI is the biggest game in town and will pull the strings where and when ever they can. Yes, the schedule is not to the liking of all participating countries but its not like you are spending half a day travelling or walking from one venue to another.

I'd say, stop ******** and get on with the game.

 

[latecut]

BCCI are the hosts and they want to maximise the revenue. Like it or not, it is the India matches that earn bulk of revenue (which is then shared with others). Ultimately it is mainly for this money that this tournament involving BCCI is being organised, and not because of any love for the game.