Lloyd criticizes ‘fixed’ Ind-Pak matches

He believes these matches should not be pre-scheduled

Former English cricketer David Lloyd believes that while Pakistan and India matches are highly anticipated by fans, they should not be pre-scheduled.

In a TalkSPORT interview, Lloyd, opposed the idea of the ICC deliberately placing India and Pakistan in the same group to ensure they play each other. He argued that the spontaneity and ‘romance’ of the draw should be preserved, making their potential matchups more exciting and fair.

“Not in the slightest,” he said when asked if it’ll be looked at as a sacrifice. “You just spoke about the independence of the fixtures. We talk long and hard about fixing in cricket. That’s fixed. It’s just fixed for a major event. I think the romance of anything like this if they do get drawn together – not that they are – but if they do, there is a romance to it. There’s something for spectators to look forward to. So if it happens, then it becomes an event. The game itself is an event. You can’t fix it. And that’s only part of what we fix. We fix loads to stuff. In this particular World Cup, you’re just trying to manipulate. It’s just wrong.”

Lloyd also criticized the scheduling of the 2024 T20 World Cup, pointing out issues like insufficient rest days between matches and inconsistent rules for the semi-finals. He noted that India hasn’t played any day-night games to accommodate prime-time viewing in India, which he sees as unfair to other teams.

“It just isn’t fair (to the teams),” he said. “You can go round and round and talk about forever. We’re just manipulating the tournament for the benefit of a few. If you look at the TV audience in India, they would watch anything there and anytime. It is a religion. It is the be all and end all. They would watch it and so it must of such commercial value, that overrides the competition itself. And don’t tell me the ICC devises it. Who does it? Whoever it is, this operating group must be told that whilst you’re doing it, this must happen, that must happen and that it’s a bit unfair to the teams. Come up with the best World Cup you can, you can put together for the supporter,” he added.

Despite not playing a bilateral series since 2013, India and Pakistan have faced each other in every ICC event over the last decade, starting with the 2013 Champions Trophy.