Junaid Khan blames India for ‘scheduling’ advantage in Champions Trophy

Former Pakistan pacer Junaid Khan lambasted the India men’s cricket team for allegedly benefitting from the scheduling of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.

The former pacer drew a comparison between the distance travelled by the two finalists before cryptically alleging India of taking advantage of the scheduling of the tournament.

"Distance travelled between matches in Champions Trophy 2025

New Zealand: 7,150 KM

South Africa: 3,286 KM

India: 0 KM

Some teams win by skill, some win by scheduling,” Junaid Khan wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

For the unversed, New Zealand played their last group-stage fixture here on March 2 and then had to rush to Lahore to play the semi-final just two days later.

After earning a spot in the final, the Blackcaps returned here on Thursday evening, highlighting their packed travelling during the mega event.

India, on the contrary, played all of their Champions Trophy 2025 matches at the same venue.

Just months before the commencement of the eight-team tournament, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send its national men’s team to Pakistan, citing the directives of their government.

The BCCI’s refusal drew a stern reaction from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), resulting in a long standoff between the two cricketing bodies.

The dispute eventually culminated with PCB proposing a ‘Fusion Formula’, which states that both teams will play their matches at a neutral venue when India or Pakistan is hosting an event for the next three years.