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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the Champions Trophy and has demanded a written clarification from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). PCB has asked ICC to seek a written reply from BCCI that it does not want to play Champions Trophy in Pakistan and along with this BCCI should also give the reason for not playing Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
On Friday, ICC had told PCB that the Government of India has not given permission to BCCI to play Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
ICC is informed by PCB to get a written clarification by BCCI
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ICC gave this information three days before the launch event related to the countdown of the tournament to be held in Lahore 100 days before the start of the tournament. In such a situation, due to the confusion regarding the tournament, this program has also been postponed.
At present, the Pakistan Cricket Board is firm on its stand and wants the entire tournament to be held in Pakistan. A senior PCB official told that there is no question of considering a hybrid model. The Asia Cup 2023 has already been organized on this model. In this situation, there is speculation about the United Arab Emirates (UAE) being used as a second venue but the PCB has rejected it. The eight-team tournament is to be played in Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi from February 19 to March 9.
With this stance of the Pakistan Cricket Board, the realization is also slowly growing that the government of Pakistan itself is now involved in the matter of organizing the Champions Trophy and the final decision in this regard is no longer in the hands of the PCB.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is not ready to back down from its stand as the board is upset at being forced to organize the Asia Cup on a hybrid model last year. Along with this, Pakistan also had to travel to India to play the World Cup last year. The PCB took this decision after consulting the government and after much opposition, they got the permission, hoping that this will help India tour Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.
Pakistan currently has the same government and Mohsin Naqvi, a minister and prominent figure in the country’s government, is also the chairman of the PCB.
The PCB has also stated that Pakistan was given the hosting rights of this tournament three years ago and there was no opposition at that time. It is believed that during the board meetings held in October, the PCB also provided a progress report, in which the launch event to be held on November 11 was also mentioned, but even then no concerns were raised.
The ICC has been contacted for comment on this matter.
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