The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is looking for guidance from the Pakistani government on how to handle hosting the Champions Trophy, following a clear statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) that India will not be sending its team to Pakistan for the tournament scheduled in February.
This week, the BCCI communicated to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the Indian government has prohibited travel to Pakistan, a decision that the ICC relayed to the PCB on Friday. In response, the PCB has consulted their government for next steps.
According to a PCB spokesperson, “The ICC emailed us regarding the BCCI’s inability to send its team to Pakistan, but no specific reasons were provided, and we haven’t received anything in writing from the BCCI. The PCB has made the federal government aware of this situation.”
The PCB has taken a firm stance against a “hybrid model” of hosting, where India would play its matches outside Pakistan, a model previously used during the 2023 Asia Cup. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who also holds the position of Pakistan’s interior minister, indicated that the government may support a complete refusal of this hybrid hosting approach, insisting that the entire tournament take place in Pakistan. This directive from the government is something the PCB is unlikely to ignore, just as the BCCI must abide by its government’s orders.
With only 100 days left until the Champions Trophy begins, the ICC faces significant challenges, especially considering the strained political relations between Pakistan and India. This tension is compounded by the fact that Naqvi’s counterpart at the BCCI, Jay Shah, is related to Indian Home Minister Amit Shah.
The rivalry between India and Pakistan is one of the major draws in international cricket, and organizers have historically ensured that these two teams meet at least once in every tournament since the 2013 Champions Trophy. However, insiders within the PCB suggest that the Pakistani government may also forbid travel to India for future ICC events, such as the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. Naqvi recently warned that gestures made in the past, like Pakistan’s travel to India for the men’s ODI World Cup in 2023, may not be repeated in light of India’s refusal to visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup.
Richard Gould, the CEO of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), emphasized the importance of both teams in ICC events, stating that without India or Pakistan, broadcasting rights would be negatively affected, which jeopardizes the overall cricket ecosystem.
In light of these developments, an event scheduled in Lahore to launch the tournament’s schedule has been postponed. Instead, the PCB plans to request that the ICC provide them with a formal explanation from the BCCI regarding the Indian government’s restrictions.
As it stands, the eight-team Champions Trophy is set to take place from February 19 to March 9 across Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi, with stadiums in various stages of renovation to prepare for the tournament. Pakistan is the defending champion, having won the event in 2017.
