All eyes were on the recently concluded ICC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Colombo as many hoped for more clarity on the venue for next year’s ICC Champions Trophy.
While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has the hosting rights for the much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy 2025, it is highly unlikely that it will be able to host all the matches in Pakistan. The main reason is India’s reluctance to visit Pakistan due to security reasons.
Bilateral ties between the two cricket boards have been on hold for over a decade due to political reasons. It was hoped that the PCB and BCCI might find a solution during the Annual General Meeting. However, there was no dialogue between the PCB and BCCI during the meeting, not even on the sidelines. The matter was reportedly not on the agenda of the meeting and was not discussed in this regard.
The Champions Trophy is suspended:
India has not visited Pakistan since 2008, while the last bilateral series between the two countries was held in the 2012-13 season. Since then, the arch-rivals have met only in ICC competitions and Asia Cups. Pakistan visited India in 2016 and 2023, but only for ICC tournaments.
On the other hand, India has maintained its stance of not visiting Pakistan since the suspension of bilateral ties. India did not visit Pakistan last year even when the PCB had the hosting rights for the Asia Cup. As a result, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) had to come up with a hybrid model and India played all its matches in Sri Lanka.
And it seems highly likely that a similar model could be applied for the Champions Trophy. According to RevSportz’s Rohit Juglan, the ICC has suspended the budget for the Champions Trophy. This is a clear indication that India is highly unlikely to visit Pakistan for next year’s tournament and the ICC might have to choose a neutral venue for its matches.
The Champions Trophy budget is on hold 👀 – Sources
– Rohit Juglan Rohit Juglan (@rohitjuglan) July 22, 2024
