According to hosts Pakistan, India has notified the International Cricket Council that it will not be attending the Champions Trophy.
India hasn’t played in Pakistan for 16 years, and the two nations haven’t faced off outside of men’s big events since 2013 due to ongoing political issues.
For the first time since 1996, Pakistan will host the eight-team, 50-over Champions Trophy in February and March of next year.
However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India has informed the ICC that the Indian squad will not cross the border, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“The PCB has received an email from the ICC, stating that the BCCI has informed them that their team will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” stated a spokeswoman for the PCB. “The PCB has forwarded that email to the government of Pakistan for their advice and guidance.”
On February 19, one hundred days from now, the tournament is scheduled to start. The ICC is yet to confirm a schedule.
The ICC is negotiating a schedule with Pakistan and the other seven competing countries, but it has not directly addressed the PCB statement. A response has been requested from the BCCI.
“The PCB has received an email from the ICC, stating that the BCCI has informed them that their team will not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” according to a PCB spokesperson. “The PCB has forwarded that email to the government of Pakistan for their advice and guidance.”
The competition is scheduled to start on February 19th, one hundred days from now. An ICC schedule has not yet been confirmed.
Although the ICC has not directly addressed the PCB statement, it is now discussing a timetable with Pakistan and the other seven contending countries. A response from the BCCI has been requested.
A ‘hybrid’ tournament staging, in which India plays its matches outside of Pakistan, perhaps in the United Arab Emirates, is one potential answer. When Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup last year, a similar strategy was used.
However, if India advances to the semi-finals, this raises the likelihood of confusion regarding the location of the knockout matches.
Additionally, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi stated on Friday that the board is not ready to accept a hybrid solution.
In order to participate in the 2023 50-over World Cup and the 2016 T20 World Cup, Pakistan traveled to India.
Richard Gould, the chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, rejected last month any notion that the competition could proceed without India.
“If you play the Champions Trophy without India or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren’t there, and we need to protect them,” he stated.
“If those conditions materialize, there are numerous solutions accessible. This is a significant time for Pakistan, and we should be able to compete as fiercely as possible there. We are aware that there are alternatives if that isn’t feasible.
After the Sri Lankan team was assaulted by gunmen fifteen years ago, Pakistan did not host any international cricket matches from 2009 to 2015.
Paul Farbrace, a former assistant coach for England, told BBC Sport that Sri Lanka “deserves to host international cricket” while working there.
“I completely understand that historical events have muddied the water between the two countries, but the BCCI has to realise this is a bigger picture than whether or not they want to go to Pakistan,” he stated.
“In terms of sports, instead of saying, ‘No, we don’t enjoy going to Pakistan,’ this is a tremendous opportunity for India to show that it wants cricket to prosper. To expand the game, all of the major nations must visit every other nation, and India has too much influence in that regard.”
