As the brewing dispute between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the International Cricket Council (ICC) is left with only three options ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The BCCI has largely dismissed the notion of allowing the Indian cricket team to visit Pakistan, citing security concerns, a move that did not sit well with the PCB, who holds all legal hosting rights for the tournament.
The stand-off continues, putting tremendous pressure on ICC authorities to intervene and reach an amicable solution to the situation.
Objections Of PCB
The denial by the BCCI to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy has brought the two cricket boards into deep divisions with each adhering to their stand. The PCB, that spent crores of money in preparation for this event, wants no more of “hybrid model” at a second instance where it would have some matches played outside Pakistan. This gives the onus to ICC to solve the problem but with very little at hand.
Options For The ICC
The ICC has three possible choices in this litigious dispute case:
1. Bidding to the PCB to accept Hybrid Model: This bid recommends that five of the 15 fixtures of the Champions Trophy be held in the UAE. The BCCI has been pressing for this hybrid model for reasons of security, but the PCB is not giving in, although it had accepted such arrangements in other tournaments before.
2. Entire Tournament should be relocated outside Pakistan: In this scenario, the entire Champions Trophy event could be held entirely outside Pakistan. This may just be the way to carry on holding the tournament, as it would involve a high risk factor. The withdrawal of Pakistani participation would then ensure that the credibility and competitiveness of the event will be severely affected.
3. Postpone Champions Trophy Indefinitely: This was an extreme step and may carry very heavy financial implications on the desk both of the ICC and the PCB. Deprived of much-needed revenue, the postponement of the event would delay since both parties were going to make a handsome profit through the event. In addition, PCB had been renovating their stadiums and their infrastructure in order to host the event, such a measure would amount to a cost dearly spent.
PCB’s Increasing Frustration With BCCI
The PCB’s frustration and annoyance with the stand taken by the BCCI has been building up. For starters, Pakistan had entertained more than New Zealand, England, and Australia in recent times. Still, the BCCI appears to be indifferent towards no Indian participation in the Champions Trophy in Pakistan for which the three boards have invited all six teams to a tournament in 2018.
That the PCB has taken serious note of the letter written to them by the ICC last week seeking clarification on the issue of the BCCI not traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025,” said Sami-Ul-Hasan, a PCB spokesperson in a conversation with Cricbuzz. The PCB wants clarity on the “real reason” for the BCCI’s refusal and is pushing the ICC to address the growing issue.
Hybrid Model Rejected
But that’s not all. The Pakistani government, sources claim, has told the PCB that a hybrid model, where some games are played outside Pakistan, is “off the table.” That leaves little room for negotiation on the PCB’s side, though; they’ve already sunk considerable resources into preparing their cricket venues with elaborate renovations.
The ICC is under tremendous pressure to find a resolution to the Champions Trophy crisis, and it needs to strike that delicate balance between forcing on the tournament so it takes place and maintaining relationships between the BCCI and the PCB. The consequences for future international cricket tournaments, in terms of revenue and cricketing calendars, will be nothing short of disastrous.
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