Kapil Dev believes the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not done all they can to help players ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023. India hosts the tournament this year and it will see a spectacle of several cricket matches played in 10 different iconic venues.
However, Kapil Dev and many other legendary cricket figures have expressed their disappointment at the BCCI’s scheduling plans. The much-anticipated tie is set to begin from October 5 with a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final. New Zealand will face off with current champions England at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.
Many commentators in India and abroad along with former cricketers do not fancy the BCCI’s scheduling plans as this World Cup season draws closer.
Why Does Kapil Dev Believe the BCCI Has a Poor Scheduling Structure?
The BCCI had earlier announced a schedule and secretary Jay Shah confirmed it. However, recent news reports confirm that the BCCI will make further changes to the original schedule, as games involving India and Pakistan will see new dates. Dev had this to say about the BCCI’s scheduling of events:
“India is playing 11 matches and the amount of travelling they have to do…Who made that fixture? You are going to Dharmashala, then to Bengaluru, to Kolkata… playing in nine different places,”
Dev also commented about India’s long ICC trophy drought. It has been at least 10 years since India won an International Cricket Council (ICC) trophy. However, Dev believes the Men in Blue are under great leadership and will reach this World Cup’s final with Rohit Sharma at the helm.
In his words, he believes India is well on her way to ending the long trophy drought after repeat attempts:
“We are still playing well…we are reaching the finals, the semifinals,”
Dev isn’t the only prominent voice against BCCI’s current scheduling debacle. Many commentators in India and abroad have expressed their disappointment at the haphazard scheduling plans from the BCCI.
Who Else Has Voiced Their Frustration about the BCCI’s Schedule for the World Cup?
Prominent English broadcasters – Adam Collins and Geoff Lemon – have come out to criticize the BCCI openly for their messy approach to scheduling the ODI Cricket World Cup. Speaking in a recent podcast, Collins commented:
“The 50-over Men’s World Cup in October/November this year, the schedule is changing. Because a number of host boards have written to the BCCI and said, ‘the schedule don’t work’…’There’s too many logistical hurdles you’re making us jump through here. You’ve got to give us more time for travel and so on.“
Geoff Lemon also echoed his colleague’s concern over the BCCI’s scheduling with an even brutal assessment of the BCCI, labelling the body as “incompetent”:
“The BCCI I think must be the most incompetent major sporting body in the world. It’s pretty hard
to make the argument otherwise, just on purely the practical grounds that we’re laying here…There is a World Cup in now, what, under three months that still doesn’t have a reliable fixture…You can’t book to go to games because they might change to another city and date entirely…The BCCI, I don’t think they are evil… They’re just really bad at doing stuff,
Kapil Dev Expresses Disappointment at the West Indies’ Failure to Qualify for ODI World Cup 2023
Kapil Dev won the 50-over World Cup against a then-dominant West Indies side in 1983. He highlighted his disappointment at the present West Indies team’s failure to reach the ODI World Cup 2023.
“It is painful to see the West Indies not playing in the World Cup. It is tough to imagine an ODI tournament without them. They have produced such great players. I don’t know what is hurting them now but, hopefully, they will make a comeback,”
A top politician from one of the West Indies countries also mirrored Kapil Dev’s sentiments:
“Today I saw the worst cricket match ever played by a West Indies team…This amateurish demoralising embarrassment has to stop. Playing for the West Indies requires a desire to fight, to believe, to win. To saunter through to defeat is unacceptable,”
The politician’s comments comes after the West Indies failed to beat the Netherlands at World Cup qualifying. It will be the first ODI World Cup without a West Indies. Kapil Dev remembers their (West Indies) daring prowess in the 1970s and 1980. Surprisingly, the West Indies also failed to qualify for the last T20 World Cup held in Australia, raising concerns over their performances.
