Although discussions are ongoing and the situation remains fluid, PK Press Club understands that the PCB presented its proposal over the weekend during meetings with the ICC and BCCI in Dubai. In it, they call for a fair, long-term deal, extending beyond the 2025 Champions Trophy, with reciprocal provisions allowing Pakistan to play outside India in global events there. unfold. It remains to be decided whether these provisions will be valid for the next three years or until the end of the current duty cycle in 2031.
“A unilateral arrangement is no longer acceptable. We cannot continue to go to India, but they are not going to Pakistan. Whatever happens, it must be on the basis of equality.”
Even though the BCCI remains tight-lipped, it seems that it is not willing to accept the adoption of a hybrid model for its tournaments. In either case, the ICC Board of Directors will reconvene and consider the PCB’s proposal before taking a final decision on the Champions Trophy. And the PCB and BCCI will have to get this decision ratified by their respective governments. The ICC has provisionally set the date of December 5 for this meeting.
The options proposed for the tournament remain the same as at the brief board meeting last week, otherwise: the tournament will either be based on a hybrid model, with India playing its matches outside Pakistan; that the entire tournament is organized in another country; or that the tournament takes place without India.
At this meeting last week, it was decided to give the PCB time to hold separate negotiations with the BCCI to find a solution after the latter told the ICC that the Indian government had denied permission to the Indian team to travel to Pakistan. Last Friday, a spokesperson for India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MEA) said “security concerns” meant India was unwilling to travel. “The BCCI has issued a statement, so I refer you to it,” the spokesperson said at a press briefing. “They said there were security concerns there and hence the team was unlikely to go there. Please refer to the statement issued by the BCCI.”
No such statement has been publicly issued by the BCCI. The PCB says it has still not received an official explanation as to why India was unable to travel, although it requested one as soon as the BCCI informed the ICC.
Jay Shah to chair ICC meeting on December 5
It is widely believed that the meeting will take place around the Champions Trophy, although it has also been suggested that it could be a courtesy visit from Shah for his tenure.
With time running out – there are only 77 days until the start date of the event – the ICC finds itself in a delicate situation. It has yet to release the tournament schedule (normally released 100 days after the event) or announce the ticketing process that would allow fans to make travel arrangements for the eight-team event.
Additional reporting by Danyal Rasool and Firdose Moonda
