The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that it will not send a team to Pakistan for next year’s Champions Trophy. This decision, communicated by Jay Shah and his team, was passed on to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) by the ICC, leaving Pakistani cricket officials dissatisfied. The PCB is now demanding a written explanation from the BCCI.
The PCB has sent a letter to the ICC, requesting that the BCCI provide a formal written statement confirming their decision not to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The PCB has also asked for a valid justification for this decision.
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held from February 9 next year across three cities in Pakistan. India’s matches were planned to take place in Lahore. However, Jay Shah has informed the ICC that their central government has not given clearance for the team to tour Pakistan, making participation in the tournament impossible. Following this notification, the ICC canceled the pre-scheduled event for the Champions Trophy in Lahore this past Monday.
The PCB is angered by India’s stance. A Pakistani cricket official stated, “We will not organize the tournament in a hybrid model like the recent Asia Cup. We have been assigned the responsibility of hosting the Champions Trophy for a long time, and we will host it ourselves.” The PCB is now taking steps to pressure the ICC and has kept the option of taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) open if necessary.
In response to India’s decision, the ICC has started planning alternative arrangements for India’s matches, with the UAE being considered as a backup venue, although no official announcement has been made. The ICC is currently maintaining regular communication with both boards amid the ongoing situation.
It’s important to note that bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan have been halted for over a decade due to political tensions. The last Test series between the two countries was held in the 2007-08 season in India, and the last bilateral limited-overs series was in 2012, also in India. Since then, India and Pakistan have only faced each other in multi-team tournaments. Last year, while the BCCI did not send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, the PCB sent Babar Azam’s team to India for the ODI World Cup.
