New Delhi:
Amidst calls for Pakistan to boycott Champions Trophy 2025 should the Indian team not travel to the country for the event, various reports have claimed that the marquee tournament could be entirely shifted to South Africa in case there’s refusal to host it in hybrid model. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is said to have proposed to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that the matches involving the Indian team be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
It has been widely reported in the media that the BCCI has informed ICC last week of its decision to not send the Indian team across the border for Champions Trophy slated to be held in Pakistan for the first time next year.
“The PCB has received an email from the ICC, stating that the BCCI has informed them that their team will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The PCB has forwarded that email to the Government of Pakistan for their advice and guidance,” Cricbuzz quoted source as claiming.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi though has flatly refused the possibility of even a discussion of hybrid model. “No discussions have been held regarding a hybrid model as of today, and we are not ready to discuss such a model,” Naqvi told reporters earlier.
According to news agency PTI, if PCB doesn’t agree to the hybrid model, then South Africa could host the tournament.
Pakistan To Withdraw?
The Pakistan government, according to Dawn, is mulling over the possibility of withdrawing the men’s cricket team from Champions Trophy. The bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan have been suspended for over a decade now thanks to the heightened diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
“In such a case, one of the options the government is mulling is that of asking the PCB to ensure Pakistan don’t participate in the Champions Trophy,” Dawn quoted a source as saying.
As per news agency PTI, the ICC has assured PCB that it will receive “full hosting fees” and get to host “majority of the matches” if it agrees to the hybrid model.
