The situation surrounding the Champions Trophy is becoming more complicated with each passing day. On Thursday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), stating that it is not willing to accept the ‘hybrid model’ for hosting the Champions Trophy. They also requested that the topic not be discussed in Friday’s meeting. As a result, uncertainty over the future of the tournament in Pakistan has grown.
According to the ‘hybrid model,’ India would play its matches in another country (likely the UAE), as was the case during the last Asia Cup. However, Pakistan is steadfastly refusing to accept this model. To resolve the issues surrounding the Champions Trophy, ICC has called an emergency meeting on Friday, where Pakistan is expected to strongly oppose the model.
A PCB source told a news agency, ‘Just a few hours ago, PCB officially informed ICC not to bring up the topic of the hybrid model. Initially, PCB was open to it but clarified that if the upcoming Champions Trophy is organized under the hybrid model and India refuses to play in Pakistan, then all ICC tournaments hosted in India until 2031 must follow the hybrid model for Pakistan.’
The PCB claims it has not seen the Indian government’s directive advising against traveling to Pakistan. According to ICC rules, such a directive must be officially submitted with an explanation as to why the team cannot play in a specific country.
Pakistan’s stance has been supported by former cricketer Shahid Afridi. On social media, he wrote, ‘India has pushed cricket to the edge by mixing sports with politics. I support PCB’s stand against the hybrid model. Despite concerns over security after 26/11, Pakistan has traveled to India five times.'”
