File photo of Rohit Sharm and Babar Azam© AFP
The ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in Pakistan next year, has entered a familiar phase where the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reportedly refused to travel to the country for the tournament. In their scheduled draft, Pakistan had kept Lahore as the only venue for the Indian team, hoping to quash security fears and get the Indian board’s nod for the tournament. But that doesn’t seem to be the case as the BCCI said to have shared the likes of Dubai and Sri Lanka as venues for their matches in a hybrid model.
Though a formal discussion on the BCCI’s proposal hasn’t been held yet, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might not have many options but to agree to the Indian board’s demands. But, in a case they remain hell-bent on hosting all of the marches in Pakistan, the Indian team can decide to pull out of the tournament over security concerns, as getting the government’s nod is quite unlikely.
If the Indian team does pull out of the Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka will go through in their place, having finished 9th in the 2023 ODI World Cup standings.
Last year, Pakistan had the hosting rights for the Asia Cup 2023 but the Indian government did not give approval to the team to travel and their matches were shifted to Sri Lanka.
The Indian cricket team has not played in Pakistan since the Asia Cup in 2008 and the two sides play each other only at ICC or ACC events.
In their last meeting in the T20 World Cup 2024 last month, India defeated Pakistan by six runs in the group stage and went on to lift their second title.
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be the first major international cricket tournament hosted solely by Pakistan. Previously, Pakistan had co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup with India and Sri Lanka and before that co-hosted the Reliance Cup with India in 1987.
With IANS Inputs
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