The ECB’s senior leadership have conceded that cricket’s need to “protect broadcast rights” will see no changes to participating teams at next year’s Champions Trophy regardless of whether India decide to travel to Pakistan. The tournament is due to be staged in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi but India have not played an international match in Pakistan since 2008.
Richard Gould and Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chief executive and chair, said on Wednesday that there are “lots of different alternatives and contingencies available” in the event that India do not travel to Pakistan, raising the possibility of a hybrid model being used. But they clarified that the Champions Trophy going ahead without India’s involvement is not an option.
Pakistan has not hosted a major ICC event since co-hosting the men’s 50-over World Cup in 1996 and the PCB have said they are “fully committed” to staging a “world-class” event. The final decision over whether or not India travel to Pakistan will rest on whether or not the Indian government grants the team permission to do so.
“It would not be in cricket’s interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy,” Thompson said. “It’s interesting, with Jay Shah – the former secretary of the BCCI and now chair of the ICC – [who] is going to have a big role to play in that. There’s geopolitics, and then there’s cricketing geopolitics. I think they’ll find a way. They have to find a way.
Gould and Thompson are in Pakistan ahead of upcoming ICC meetings in Dubai, and have been meeting PCB officials in Multan during England’s second Test match. Gould said that cricket’s dependence on broadcast rights as a revenue stream ensured both India and Pakistan would feature. “If you play the Champions Trophy without India, or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren’t there, and we need to protect them,” he said.
“They [Pakistan] are the host nation. We’ve seen the developments going on, and we’re all waiting to understand whether India are going to travel. That’s the key. We think there are some discussions and relationships where they need to be. I know Pakistan are expecting India to travel. There are lots of different alternatives and contingencies available if that doesn’t happen.
“It would not be in cricket’s interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy. It’s interesting, with Jay Shah – the former secretary of the BCCI and now chair of the ICC – [who] is going to have a big role to play in that. There’s geopolitics, and then there’s cricketing geopolitics.”
Richard Thompson, the ECB’s chair
“There are a variety of different options available if those circumstances come along. But also, when was the last time Pakistan hosted any kind of ICC trophy? This is a big moment for the country, and hopefully we can have the fullest possible competition in Pakistan. If that’s not possible, we know there are options available.”
Thompson predicted that the exact nature of India’s participation would “go to the wire”. He said: “That’s between India and Pakistan, and I think they will find a way where India will participate in the Champions Trophy… These things tend to go to the wire, as history has shown us, so I think that in those [last] six months, they’ll find a way.”
The Champions Trophy will feature eight teams, with two groups of four followed by semi-finals and a final. The competing teams are: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and South Africa.
The ICC was contacted for comment.
Matt Roller is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @mroller98
