NEW DELHI, Nov 12: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written a stern letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) seeking reasons behind India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan to play the ICC Champions Trophy scheduled to be played in Pakistan in February, next year.
According to media reports, the PCB in its letter to the ICC wanted in writing from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) the reasons and justifications behind its decision not to send India men’s team to Pakistan to participate in the Champions Trophy.
The ICC had on Saturday informed the PCB that the BCCI, after not receiving permission form the Indian government, has not agreed to send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. As of now, the Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to be played across three venues in Pakistan from February 9.
Due to tense political ties between both nations, India has not travelled to Pakistan since 2008, when they played the Asia Cup over there. India has firmly held the stance of not travelling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, citing ‘security concerns’. Earlier the BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla had stated that India would travel to Pakistan only if the Government of India permitted it.
The PCB consulted with the Pakistan government on the issue and is looking to present a firm stance on the matter. The PCB is learnt to be considering to withdraw from the Champions Trophy if the tournament was shifted to neutral venues and refuse to play any match against India. “If India’s participation contributes to ICC’s revenue, the PCB’s role is equally crucial, and without Pakistan-India matches, the ICC revenues would suffer significantly,” the PCB sources said.
The BCCI has requested the ICC to conduct the matches of the Indian Cricket Team on a hybrid model with the final to take place at Dubai International Stadium in the UAE. But last week, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi shrugged away the possibility of hosting the tournament in a hybrid model by claiming that there have been no discussions about hosting the tournament in a hybrid format.
On Tuesday, sources reported that South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerged as possible venues for hosting the Champions Trophy in 2025 if Pakistan pulled out at the last moment. If the tournament is shifted, there are also chances that Pakistan could withdraw from the tournament if ICC moves the tournament to a neutral venue, according to recent reports.
India and Pakistan played their last bilateral series in 2012-13 in India, a white-ball series, and now mostly play in ICC tournaments and Asia Cups.
(Manas Dasgupta)