Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo is all set to host the International Cricket Council (ICC) Annual Conference from 19-22 July 2024. All eyes will be on talks on the hybrid model of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This is the first time the event is being held in the Asian region.
The agenda of this meeting will be the selection of Pakistan as the host of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Pakistan is the current champion of the tournament and has been awarded the hosting rights. England, New Zealand, Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Africa and India are the teams participating in the tournament, apart from Pakistan.
The BCCI and the Indian government remain the biggest hurdle for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to successfully host the Champions Trophy. They have not hosted an ICC event for a long time and the board and management are trying their best to retain the hosting rights.
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There are already reports that the Indian government is unlikely to miss the opportunity to send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The Indian government has not maintained any kind of relationship with Pakistan, either on the political or cricketing front.
BCCI expresses concern over security of Champions Trophy 2025
The BCCI has also expressed doubts about sending the team to Pakistan, citing security reasons. They want the ICC to organise the tournament on a hybrid model, with the team likely to play its matches in Sri Lanka or the UAE. The ICC is also considering the possibility of doing so and the discussion at the annual meeting could follow the same lines.
The BCCI will need permission from its government to travel to Pakistan, which could change the debate on the possibility of the tournament being played in the hybrid model with the UAE as a possible host. Cricket Pakistan has also said that the PCB is concerned about India’s last-minute withdrawal from the tournament without offering any proper explanation.
This could lead the ICC into an emergency situation that would force it to decide not only on an alternative venue, but also on budget and travel plans, as well as on the venue ultimately decided upon.
Since the 2008 terror attack, political relations between India and Pakistan have remained contentious. This has affected their cricketing relations as well, as the two teams have not played any bilateral series. The last bilateral series between the two teams was in the 2012-13 season, when Pakistan toured India. The last time India visited Pakistan was in the 2004-5 season.
The two teams have been regularly playing each other in ICC events, but bilateral cricket between the two countries is yet to commence. Many attempts have been made to resolve the scenario, but nothing has resulted in anything positive.
In the last six months, India and Pakistan have met twice – once in the ODI World Cup and once in the T20 World Cup – and in both matches India beat Pakistan.
There are reports that India and Pakistan will be in the same group in the Champions Trophy. However, if the hybrid policy is implemented, Pakistan might lose the opportunity to host the knockout matches, including the final.
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