The BCCI this week informed the ICC of the Indian government’s decision not to allow India to travel to Pakistan. That decision was formally conveyed by the ICC to the PCB on Friday, who has now turned to his government for next steps.
“The ICC sent an email to the PCB informing them about the BCCI’s inability to send its team to Pakistan,” a PCB spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo. “No reason has been given. We have not received anything in writing from the BCCI. The PCB has informed the federal government of the situation.”
The PCB has taken a more rigid stance on hosting the tournament, the first ICC event in the country since 1996, with board president Mohsin Naqvi on Friday very clearly ruling out a hybrid organizing model. Such a model, used in the 2023 Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan, would see India play its matches outside Pakistan and all non-India matches in Pakistan.
Since Naqvi is Pakistan’s home minister, that stance can be taken as representative of the government in this case. An official familiar with the situation said Pakistan’s government will consider ordering the PCB to stand firm, reject the hybrid model and insist that the entire tournament be held in Pakistan. It would be a directive that the PCB would not be in a position to ignore, just as the BCCI cannot act against its own government’s directive.
This leaves the ICC, with 100 days to go until the start of the Champions Trophy, in a particularly difficult situation with simmering political issues between its two main full members threatening to boil over, which is not surprising given that Naqvi’s BCCI counterpart Jay Shah is the son of Naqvi’s counterpart in the Indian government, Home Minister Amit Shah. The situation will not be any easier when Shah takes over as ICC president on December 1.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan is the marquee match at all global events, and organizers have long ensured that they face each other at least once in every tournament since the 2013 Champions Trophy. It is typically the match that attracts the most looks. But there are indications within this PCB administration that its government may not allow Pakistan to travel to India for future ICC events – the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup is the next such event. On Friday, Naqvi had warned that the “gestures” Pakistan had made in the past might not be repeated – he was referring to Pakistan traveling to India for the Men’s ODI World Cup in 2023, just after India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Asian World Cup. Cup.
Last month, ECB chief executive Richard Gould made it clear how important India and Pakistan were to ICC events and the global cricket ecosystem. “If you play the Champions Trophy without India or Pakistan, the broadcasting rights do not exist and we must protect them,” he said, on a visit to Pakistan during England’s Test series in the country.
In light of the developments, an event in Lahore this week to launch the calendar and begin the 100-day countdown has been postponed. Instead, the PCB is expected to press the ICC this week to obtain in writing from the BCCI the reason for its decision and for what specific reasons the Indian government is preventing its team from travelling. The ICC has been contacted for comment.
For now, the eight-team event will be played between February 19 and March 9 in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi. The stadiums at all three venues have undergone renovations and upgrades to varying degrees to be ready for the event. Pakistan is the defending champion, having won the event in 2017.
