Rashid Latif Defends BCCI Amid Champions Trophy Scheduling Controversy

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has received support as it faces criticism over the 2025 Champions Trophy schedule. Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif defended the BCCI while criticizing the International Cricket Council (ICC) for making a mistake. Last December, it was announced that all of India’s matches would be held in Dubai because India could not travel to Pakistan for safety reasons.

During the tournament, which started in March, India was accused of having an “unfair advantage” because they played all their games in one place. On a YouTube show called ‘Caught Behind,’ Latif criticized former England cricketers like Nasser Hussain, Michael Atherton, and David Lloyd for complaining about India.

Latif acknowledged that there was a scheduling problem but said it wasn’t just BCCI’s fault. He pointed fingers at the other cricket boards for not paying attention during planning. He said everyone should stop whining after the fact, especially since they all agreed to the schedule.

Latif mentioned that if India had played their match against New Zealand a day earlier, it would have made the semi-final lineup clearer. He emphasized that the cricket boards needed to do their jobs properly instead of enjoying ICC meetings.

The Indian team had a different view. Captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir dismissed claims of an unfair advantage, saying they hadn’t practiced in Dubai beforehand. Gambhir pointed out the conditions between the practice location and the match venue were very different. He said that some people just complain without reason. However, fast bowler Mohammed Shami agreed that playing all matches at one venue helped India because they got used to the conditions.