New Delhi: The 2025 Champions Trophy situation is getting complex with each day passing and a final result is expected to be delivered on Friday after the conclusion of the much-awaited board meeting. The Champions Trophy imbroglio started after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) declared that the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan, where the tournament is scheduled to take place.
The BCCI is suggesting a hybrid model where India’s games are scheduled outside Pakistan while the host nation on Thursday intensified their stance and rather increased pressure on the International Cricket Council (ICC), making it clear that the much-debated hybrid model is unacceptable to them. Sources close to the development have revealed that the PCB has asked the ICC to propose a workable solution.
What time will the meeting begin?
The ICC board is scheduled to virtually meet at 2:30 PM Dubai time (4:00 PM IST) to decide the fate of the fifty-over ICC tournament whose situation has become impasse since last month. The marquee tournament is slated for the window between February 19 and March 9.
“Pakistan will not keep participating in events in India while Indian authorities keep refusing to send their teams to Pakistan. Such an imbalance is not acceptable,” Mohsin Naqvi spoke to media in Lahore on Thursday.
The meeting is deemed to be a critical test of the ICC if it is able to come out with a solution that satisfies all the stakeholders, India and Pakistan in particular. The timing of the meeting is also noteworthy as it only takes place three days after the Sri Lanka A team withdrew from the Pakistan tour and returned home due to political unrest. The incident was downplayed by the PCB saying this isn’t any reason concerned with the security of the players.
It is still not clear if the imbroglio will be resolved on Friday itself as the ICC is expected to propose various options, the hybrid model being one of them, and Naqvi might take some time to consult with his government. Meanwhile, the ICC was required to announce the schedule for the tournament 90 days before its start for its business partners, but 10 days have already passed and there might be financial implications.
The officials of ICC, PCB and the BCCI are scheduled to meet on Friday in a virtual board meeting to decide the fate of the eight-team Champions Trophy after India refused to travel to Pakistan to take part in the tournament. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
