ICC likely to take a call on Champions Trophy soon

The ICC will have an emergency meeting next week to discuss the fate of the 2025 Champions Trophy. As per ESPNcricinfo, the main agenda for the meeting on November 26 is likely to be where the tournament will be played. Moreover, a hybrid model that should be adopted for the tournament will be discussed too with India not travelling to Pakistan, the host country due to the political relations between the two countries.

 

 

While many people privy to discussions confirmed the development to ESPNcricinfo, an ICC spokesperson stated that there had been no official communication confirming the meeting next week as well. It is also not clear how many boards have been informed of the meeting at this point. A PCB official also shared that they had received no such information either.

 

However, the meeting has been called for after the BCCI told the ICC that the Indian government has denied India's permission to travel to Pakistan. That decision only came some time ago; the PCB was given hosting rights for the eight-team ODI tournament three years ago, in November 2021, and they want to conduct the entire tournament in Pakistan, at three venues: Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi as well.

 

 

However, there is still no official schedule announced by the ICC for the event.

 

Speaking to the media in Pakistan this week, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that he retained "positive expectations" about the Champions Trophy playing in the country as well. Naqvi, who is also the head of the Interior Ministry of the Pakistan government, said that he was willing to have a chat with the BCCI to break the deadlock, even when the PCB awaits a reply from the ICC to a set of questions about why India cannot travel to Pakistan for the marquee event.

 

 

However, this is the second time in consecutive years the PCB has been confronted with the hybrid model to host a mega tournament to accommodate India as well. The 2023 Asia Cup took place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka after Team India refused to travel to Pakistan. On the other hand, Pakistan travelled between their country and Sri Lanka where the tournament final was played to play against India. Moreover, Pakistan travelled to India for the ODI World Cup soon after that tournament, a decision the PCB has said that it expected to be reciprocated for the Champions Trophy as well.

 

Notably, earlier this week the India team was also forced to withdraw from the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup which was scheduled to be taking place in Pakistan, after failing to secure the Indian government's clearance to travel to Pakistan as well.