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Pakistan Cricket Board’s adamance to not relent over the organisation of the ICC Champions Trophy exclusively on home soil led to the emergency meeting on Friday to have an inconclusive finish, with further discussions slated for Saturday.
ICC Champions Trophy. (Image: X)
The ICC has reportedly handed Pakistan an ultimatum to either accept a hybrid model, with India’s games being held elsewhere, or be prepared to miss out on the Champions Trophy after the BCCI rejected any plans of the men in blue travelling across the border to the neighbouring nation for the upcoming edition of the ICC event.
Pakistan Cricket Board’s adamance to not relent over the organisation of the ICC event on home soil alone led to the emergency meeting on Friday to have an inconclusive finish, with further discussions slated for Saturday.
Reports suggest that despite ICC feeling sympathetic towards the plight of Pakistan, PCB boss Mohsin Naqvi was instructed to accept the only plausible solution, a hybrid model with India playing their fixtures outside Pakistan- possibly in the UAE.
“Look, no broadcaster will give a penny to an ICC event which does not have India and even Pakistan knows that. The ICC meeting on Saturday will only happen if Mr Mohsin Naqvi agrees with the ‘Hybrid Model’,” an ICC Board source said.
“If not, then ICC Board might have to shift the tournament entirely to a different country but it will be held without Pakistan,” t he source added.
The emergency meeting turned out to be a rather brief one with Naqvi rehashing Pakistan’s decision not to relent to the pressure of accepting a hybrid model.
“All parties continue to work towards a positive resolution for the Champions Trophy 2025 and it is expected that the Board will reconvene on Saturday and continue to meet over the next few days,” another BCCI member said reportedly.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated BCCI’s decision of the Indian team’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the tournament citing security reason.
“BCCI has issued a statement. They have said that there are security concerns there and it is therefore unlikely that the team will be going there,” an MEA spokesperson said.
It is understood that if Pakistan are to be stripped of the hosting rights of the tournament they would also be left devoid of the hosting fee and the gate receipts in addition to a marked cut tot their annual revenue, around $35 million USD
The only feasible dates for the tournament are between February and March, as originally planned, and the issue deepens considering that broadcaster Star would negotiate and knock the price of the telecast deal down if the tournament were to be rescheduled.
However, if PCB give the go-ahead for a hybrid model, they stand to negotiate a hefty compensation for sharing the tournament’s hosting rights.
