The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has left the responsibility to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to persuade the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to send its team to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy, scheduled for the first quarter of next year. According to a PCB source, the budget for the Champions Trophy was approved at the recent ICC meetings in Colombo, but the schedule and format were not discussed.
“The PCB has fulfilled its duties as the host of the Champions Trophy by submitting the draft schedule, format, and budget for the event,” a PCB insider stated. “It is now up to the ICC to circulate, discuss, and finalize the schedule of the Champions Trophy. The PCB has proposed hosting all of India’s games in Lahore, including a semi-final (if India qualifies) and the final.”
Another source mentioned that the PCB has provided all necessary details in its expression of interest document submitted to the ICC, including tax modalities, venue selections, and government clearance for hosting the Indian team. The PCB initially expressed interest in hosting the event back in 2021 during Ehsan Mani’s tenure as Chairman. The ICC awarded the hosting rights in 2022, and during Ramiz Raja’s chairmanship, the PCB submitted its final documentation for the host agreement with the ICC.
The source also revealed that PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi did not have a formal meeting with BCCI secretary Jay Shah or any other BCCI officials during the ICC meetings, though the exchanges between Naqvi and Shah were cordial. The PCB has now left it to the ICC to finalize and announce the tournament schedule and confirm whether the Indian team will travel to Pakistan.
The ICC has included supplementary expenses in its tournament budget to accommodate a situation where the Indian team might need to play its matches outside Pakistan, suggesting preparedness for a hybrid schedule. The BCCI has consistently maintained that playing cricket in Pakistan is a government decision, as evidenced by the 2023 ODI Asia Cup, where India played all its games in Sri Lanka under a ‘Hybrid Model’.
