New Delhi, Nov 26; The International Cricket Council (ICC) Board will meet online on Friday (November 29), to decide the schedule for the 2025 Champions Trophy, sources told IANS on Tuesday. With India refusing to travel to Pakistan for the marquee tournament, the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are yet to finalise the schedule for next year’s event.
PCB holds the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy 2025 and is adamant about staging the tournament completely. With India refusing to travel across the border to play in Pakistan, the likely option to conduct the tournament will be a ‘hybrid model’.
Last year, Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup in a hybrid model after India refused to travel. India played all their matches in the tournament in Colombo including the semifinal and final.
Earlier this month, PCB wrote to the global body seeking clarification and details regarding BCCI’s decision, which had been communicated to the sport’s World governing body.
The PCB has sought a written response from the BCCI, along with the date it officially informed the ICC of its position. Amid the ongoing uncertainty around the tournament, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed confidence in hosting the first ICC event in Pakistan since 1996.
“We have sent them (ICC) the questions we had. We are still waiting for their response. I believe that sports and politics are separate and no country should mix the two. Even now I still have positive expectations about the Champions Trophy,” Naqvi had said at a press interaction at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
PCB had to tweak the tournament’s trophy tour after BCCI raised objections with the ICC as the previous route was passing through three cities of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The PCB initially announced a route last week that included Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, and two other cities of the region. While the destinations were removed following a complaint by BCCI, it has not been officially cancelled. The Trophy Tour will return to Pakistan in January after visiting the other seven Champions Trophy participants.–(IANS)
