Even on the day of the board meeting among members of the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the fate of the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to take place from the second week of February to the third week of March, is yet to be taken.
The Pakistan board was handed over the hosting rights of the Champions Trophy four years ago, but just a few weeks ago, the BCCI wrote a letter to the ICC, which was later forwarded to the PCB, where they informed their decision to refuse traveling across the border due to the security reasons. India has not made a trip to the neighboring country since 2008 and doesn’t carry any bilateral relationship since 2012.
The PCB has already renovated its three grounds in the form of the National Stadium in Karachi, the Rawalpindi Stadium, and the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. And they are not prepared to accept the hybrid model proposed by the BCCI, which will help them to play their games either in Sri Lanka or Dubai.
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The board meeting was expected to provide a solution to the ongoing issue, but the ICC has handed both the BCCI and the PCB more time to find a workable solution and is expected to give their final verdict within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Champions Trophy 2025 fate to be decided over the weekend
The meeting aimed to find a solution but, it lasted less than 15 minutes. The PCB team, led by their chairman Mohsin Naqvi, was present in Dubai for the meeting, even though most of the other boards were engaged in an online call. There is a suggestion that talks have been taking place over the matter for the last 48 hours, and they will continue to do so for the next two days.
Naqvi has already claimed that they are not going to give the green signal to the hybrid model for the Champions Trophy. The reports have claimed that any proposal will have to run through the government of both India and Pakistan before it’s presented to the ICC for approval.
The ICC board, which is comprised of 12 full member countries, had called the meeting to discuss the three options on the agenda, on how the Champions Trophy 2025 would play out. The first of them is that the majority of the games will be played in Pakistan but, those involving India will be shifted outside.
The Champions Trophy could be entirely outside Pakistan, with the PCB retaining the hosting rights, whereas they could stage the entire event in Pakistan but without India. One of the board directors has spoken to ESPNcricinfo, where they addressed that the hybrid model is the only possible way out for the smooth process.
The draft schedule approved for the tournament has found India being offered the stadium in Lahore to decrease their travel around the country, but the ICC never signed the dates and venues.
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India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has described how security reasons have made it hard for them to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy 2025.
“The BCCI has stated, so I would refer you to it. They have said there are security concerns there, and therefore, it is unlikely the team will be going there. Please do refer to the statement issued by the BCCI.” The spokesperson claimed during the press briefing.
The final verdict is expected to come by the weekend, but in all likelihood, the event would happen either in the hybrid model or without the Babar Azam-led side.