New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to hold an emergency meeting with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on November 26. As per ESPNcricinfo, the single-point agenda for the meeting is to discuss about the scheduling issues of the Champions Trophy 2025.
While many people privy to discussions confirmed the development, an ICC spokesperson said to ESPNcricinfo that there is no official communication about next week’s meeting and it is still unclear how many boards have been informed about the meeting at this point. A PCB official also said that they had no information about the meeting at the moment. The ICC Board have representatives from 12 Full-member countries, three representatives from associate nations and an independent director along with the ICC Chairman and CEO.
Why has the meeting been called?
The meeting has been called after the BCCI told ICC that the Indian government has denied permission to send their team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, citing safety concerns in the country amid tense bilateral relations. The decision came just a few days before the announcement of the tournament’s schedule. Pakistan was awarded the hosting rights of the eight-team event in November 2021 and wants to conduct the entire tournament in the country in Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi.
The 2023 Asia Cup was also played in the hybrid model after the Indian team was denied permission to travel to Pakistan but Babar and Co. travelled to India to participate in the 2023 ODI World Cup after that tournament. Earlier this week, Team India was also forced to withdraw from the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup which is scheduled to be played in Pakistan.
The Indian government didn’t permit the team to travel to Pakistan. Meanwhile, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said that he retained “positive expectations” about hosting the entire Champions Trophy in the country.
The ICC is set to host a crucial meeting which will include top officials of both BCCI and PCB, aiming to resolve venue concerns for the 2025 Champions Trophy. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
