New Delhi . During a recent televised debate in Pakistan regarding the Champions Trophy controversy, a panelist argued that Sri Lanka should be included in the eightteam 50over tournament instead of India. The second panelist hit back, saying, “You can't remove the player who holds both the bat and the ball. You can't remove India when world cricket depends on them, especially when the broadcaster is from the country.” yes.”
The debate summed up the dilemma facing Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Since the global event was last held in 1996, the PCB has been keen to host the Champions Trophy at any cost, whether India participates in it or not. The PCB aims to show that Pakistan, which is often targeted for security issues, is ready to change its 'unsafe image'. Hosting a major event like the Champions Trophy after almost three decades will strengthen this perception.
The global reality is different. Without India's participation, the Champions Trophy – or any ICC event for that matter – would be a nonstarter. To further complicate the situation, the PCB has come out strongly against a hybrid model, under which Pakistan would be allowed to host but India's matches, including the semifinals and final, would be moved to a neutral venue, possibly the UAE. But PCB is not ready for this.
India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have made it clear that their team will not be going to Pakistan, so the stakeholders, the ICC and the PCB, are left with only a few options. Specifically, there are three possible scenarios:
1. PCB agrees to hybrid model and five of the 15 matches are played in UAE.
2. The Champions Trophy is taken out of Pakistan, in such a situation the PCB can withdraw from the competition.
3. The Champions Trophy is postponed indefinitely.
Each option has serious implications for both the tournament and the PCB's ambitions. If the PCB backs out, it could face ICC sanctions, including a cut in the ICC's substantial funding. Furthermore, moving or postponing the Champions Trophy would mean potentially losing USD 65 million in hosting fees, which is a huge sum for the PCB. The loss will be even more galling given that it had made serious investments to upgrade the infrastructure in the three scheduled venues for the Champions Trophy – Karachi, Rawalpindi and Lahore.
Reports from Pakistan suggest that the government has advised the PCB not to accept the hybrid model. A source familiar with the situation said, “It is not under consideration. The PCB will naturally follow government guidance.”
After extensive deliberations, the PCB has written to the ICC seeking clarification. In the ICCPCB communication regarding India's stance, there is no mention of security issues, and the PCB has raised several questions on that front. It also highlighted that in the last two years, New Zealand has toured Pakistan three times, England twice and Australia once.
“The PCB has responded to ICC's letter from last week seeking clarification on BCCI's decision not to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” PCB spokesperson SamiulHassan told Cricbuzz on Tuesday. ” He confirmed that the PCB is in talks with the ICC, which, as reported by this website, canceled the 100day countdown event in Lahore, throwing the whole situation into disarray.
Questions arise on the role of ICC in this entire episode. It is a wellknown fact that India would not be willing to travel to Pakistan given the diplomatic relations between the two countries, and the role of the ICC remains a central point in this standoff. It has been claimed that the tournament schedule was already shared with all the stakeholders and participating teams and the BCCI did not raise any objection at that time. Furthermore, since the Champions Trophy was awarded to Pakistan, around 12 ICC board meetings have taken place in which no formal concerns have been raised by the BCCI about India's participation.
What is ignored here is that the BCCI works under the guidance of the Government of India and cannot take any decision without official approval. Former Sports Minister of India Anurag Thakur, while in office, had long ago said that India will not go to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. Although this may not have been the official position of the BCCI at that time, anyone with a good understanding of IndiaPakistan relations can easily understand this position. Now the ball is completely in the ICC's court.
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Image Credit: KhasKhabar.