Daily Times

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday called a board meeting on November 29 to deliberate on the future of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan in February-March next year.

The meeting will be held online, and all board members have been provided with the agenda, an ICC spokesperson confirmed.

According to sources, the meeting will discuss the future of the tournament following India’s refusal to tour Pakistan for the tournament. The ICC board members will be discussing various options including adopting a hybrid model, relocating the event entirely, or postponing the tournament. Sources further revealed that the ICC board is inclined toward implementing a hybrid model as a primary solution. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already voiced its opposition to this approach.

The ICC Board is expected to make a final decision after considering feedback and recommendations from its members during the meeting. The board comprises 12 full members, three associate members, and one independent director.

Earlier on November 20, it was reported that the ambiguity surrounding the tournament was expected to linger on due to the likelihood of a delay in the announcement of the schedule.

The ICC had officially demanded a written explanation from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) over its refusal after the PCB requested the ICC to provide a copy of India’s written response regarding the decision against attending the mega-event. Apart from the PCB’s stance, the refusal of broadcasters and commercial partners to accept a schedule that does not feature a Pakistan-India match – which brings significant eyes and therefore generates valuable revenue – has also added to the ICC’s woes.

Furthermore, they also had warned of legal action if the tournament does not include a contest between the arch-rivals.

The sources had said that the announcement of the schedule will be possible in a couple of days if the stakeholders show flexibility. Stakeholders are in favour of holding the event with mutual consensus, they had added. Meanwhile, the international cricketing body is striving to come up with a solution before BCCI Secretary Jay Shah takes charge as ICC Chairman on December 1.

It is pertinent to mention that in recent years, the ICC has made sure that India play Pakistan at least once in each of the global cricketing events, ensuring a major chunk of revenue from this game.

The match between arch-rivals at the 2023 World Cup drew unprecedented interest, with 173 million viewers on Indian TV and 225 million digital viewers.

The ICC, which secured $3.2 billion from broadcast rights for the 2024-2027 cycle and anticipates $1 billion more in other revenue, relies heavily on marquee events featuring Pakistan and India.

It is to be noted that India have not played an international match in Pakistan since 2008. Last year, the BCCI declined to send a team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, leading to a hybrid format with later stages held in Sri Lanka.

However, Pakistan did visit India soon after for the 2023 ODI World Cup.