LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has found itself in a precarious situation, caught between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), as both sides remain entrenched in their positions over next year’s Champions Trophy.
The tournament, scheduled to take place in Pakistan from February 19 to March 9, has become embroiled in a dispute, with the BCCI refusing to send its team to Pakistan, citing political and security concerns, despite assurances from all member boards regarding the security arrangements and the tentative match schedule.
An online meeting convened by the ICC on Friday aimed at resolving the issue and announcing the match schedule lasted just 15 minutes due to the uncompromising stance of both the PCB and the BCCI.
The PCB has made it clear that it will not accept a hybrid model for the event, under which all of India’s matches would be played outside Pakistan.
On the other hand, the BCCI is lobbying for the hybrid model, and if the PCB refuses, its next step is to push for shifting the Champions Trophy to another country. After failing to make progress on Friday, the ICC postponed the meeting to Saturday, according to well-placed sources.
The ICC, under pressure from the economic clout of the BCCI, faces a delicate situation. While the PCB’s stance is principled, it is clear that sidelining the BCCI is not an easy task for the governing body to manage.
Sources revealed that the PCB communicated to the ICC on Thursday that it would not accept the hybrid model and insisted that the entire event be hosted in Pakistan.
The PCB also requested that the hybrid model not be presented as a solution during the Executive Board meeting on Friday.
With no alternative solution in sight, the ICC decided to postpone the meeting, urging its 16 member boards to come up with an acceptable resolution by Saturday.
Although the meeting was conducted online, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was in Dubai for the ICC meeting, attended virtually. Prior to the meeting, he met with the ICC’s chief executive to inform him that the Pakistan government had rejected the hybrid model. Sources confirmed that the ICC had agreed with the PCB’s security plan and match schedule but was unable to announce the schedule due to the BCCI’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan.
INDIA ‘UNLIKELY’ TO CROSS BORDER
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Friday stated that it is unlikely that the country’s cricket team will travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, citing security concerns.
“The BCCI has issued a statement regarding the security issues in Pakistan, and it is unlikely that the Indian cricket team will travel for the event,” said the MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. “Please refer to the BCCI’s statement for further details.”
While the BCCI hadn’t issued a “statement” as mentioned by Jaiswal, the board’s vice president Rajeev Shukla reiterated its position while confirming ongoing discussions.
“A decision will be taken after evaluating the situation. Our top priority is the safety of the players. Hybrid mode is also an option,” he told reporters earlier in the day.
An ICC document obtained by Dawn reveals that all member boards had agreed to the PCB’s security plan and the tentative match schedule. The document states that during an ICC Board meeting on October 21, a schedule for the Champions Trophy was decided in the presence of a BCCI representative.
However, after agreeing to the schedule and security measures, the BCCI informed the ICC that it would not send its team to Pakistan due to governmental restrictions. The ICC document also outlines details of the security plans, stating that a “Master Security Plan” was developed in collaboration with the ICC and independent risk assessors, and was shared with the member boards.
Furthermore, the match schedule had been approved by the ICC’s broadcast partner Star Sports and was circulated to all participating teams, with no member expressing concerns.
Interestingly, when the PCB planned to take the Champions Trophy to cities like Hunza, Skardu, and Muzaffarabad in advance of the tournament, the ICC intervened at the last minute after the BCCI raised objections. The BCCI claimed that these cities, located in disputed areas of Kashmir, should not be part of the Trophy tour.
However, the PCB did not protest when the BCCI took the 2023 World Cup trophy to Ladakh, another disputed region. Following the ICC’s instructions, the PCB adjusted the route and excluded the aforementioned cities.
This incident has led to questions about the ICC’s impartiality, with the PCB chairman raising concerns over the organisation’s credibility. Despite this, it seems the ICC remains heavily influenced by the BCCI in its handling of the Champions Trophy issue.
Moreover, the ICC’s documents confirm that the PCB signed the Host Agreement in December 2023, with the event budget approved in July 2024. Renovations are ongoing at the three venues—Rawalpindi, Lahore, and Karachi—to upgrade facilities, including the installation of new LED floodlights, high-definition replay screens, and updated scoreboards. The ICC is monitoring progress closely, with completion scheduled for December 31.
In light of these developments, the PCB has also requested that the ICC present the letter from the Indian government, instructing the BCCI not to send its team to Pakistan. The PCB has been seeking this clarification for several months, but it has yet to be provided.
Published in Dawn, November 30th, 2024
