West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will have to provide answers to clarify the confusion behind the entanglement of the Champions Trophy schedule that forced both Australia and South Africa to travel to Dubai to know who they will face in the semifinals of the tournament. 

The result of the final group match between India and New Zealand on Sunday in Dubai will decide the semifinal line-up.
Australia are in Dubai and will train this afternoon, when South Africa are expected to fly in from Karachi where they hammered England to get the top spot in Group B.

The winners of the India-New Zealand clash will play Australia, who finished second to South Africa in their group.

But irrespective of the placing and opponent, India will play the first semi-final in Dubai on March 4 after they refused to travel to hosts Pakistan for political reasons.

That will leave New Zealand and either Australia or South Africa, hours after landing in Dubai, to head back to Pakistan for the second semi-final scheduled on March 5 in Lahore.

"People may have a point when they say that. I guess that's due to politics — I don't want to get into the political side of things," Richards said on Sunday.

"But I believe the people who are responsible, in terms of the governing and the ruling of the game in itself which is the ICC, they're the ones who I think got the problem. I would like them to come up with an answer, why? If they are the governing body of cricket, why is that happening at present? I honestly believe one of the things that can bring all of us together, fans and everyone, even enemies together, (is) sports," he said. 

Pundits and ex-cricketers had called out the one-venue "farce" at the 50-over tournament after India were allowed to play all their matches at the Dubai International Stadium.

The rest of the seven teams in the eight-nation competition had to shuttle between three Pakistan venues -- Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore -- and the United Arab Emirates.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, on the other hand, slammed critics and lashed out at the discussions about India playing all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai.

While speaking to India Today on Saturday, Gavaskar was in no mood to entertain claims that playing in Dubai is an advantage for India, responding sharply to former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain, who had spoken extensively on the matter.

"I think these are all wise and experienced people. Why don't you actually look at why your team has not qualified? That's what I was going to ask you, sir. Rather than constantly focusing on India, are you even looking at your own backyard? Your players are in such a fragile mental state-they don't seem to care about results as long as they meet certain expectations," Gavaskar said.

"You must care about results. You must care for your country, for any team you play for. If you are playing for your country, the responsibility is even greater.

"All the time, they are mourning -- 'India has got this, India has got that.' It's constant. We must just ignore it. Let them keep mourning. We have better things to focus on. That is the kind of attitude you must have.

"As I said before, it's not even worth commenting on. It really isn't. They are always mourning. They just cannot seem to understand where India stands in international cricket in terms of quality, income, talent, and, more importantly, in terms of generating revenue. India's contribution to global cricket-through television rights and media revenue-plays a massive role. They need to understand that their salaries also come from what India brings to the world of cricket," Gavaskar added.

Hussain and Atherton argued that India's familiarity with the conditions, along with the fact that they are not required to travel, provides them with an "undeniable advantage." Following their comments, Pakistan head coach Aaqib Javed also addressed the issue, though he maintained that he would not use it as an excuse for their limp defeat to India on 23 January.