ICC must accommodate India even if it infuriates the hosts

November 12, 2024 4:19 p.m.(Updated 4:58 p.m.)

Plans for next year’s Champions Trophy are in chaos after India refusal travel to Pakistan for the tournament and subsequent reports that the hosts are threatening to pull out of the event altogether if it is moved to another country.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was informed via email by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Sunday that India would not be traveling to the country for the tournament scheduled to take place between February 19 and March 9 of next year and confirmed Lahore. , Rawalpindi and Karachi as host cities.

This follows long-standing political tensions between Pakistan and India, which have not seen either play a bilateral series in over a decade.

India have not visited their neighbors for a cricket match since 2008 and despite hoping to do so for the Champions Trophy, they have confirmed to the ICC, organizers of the tournament, that they will not had not received authorization from his government to do so. next year.

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The Champions Trophy, which brings together the eight highest-ranked ODI teams, is the second most important ODI tournament behind the World Cup but has not been played since 2017, when Pakistan beat India in the final in England.

Options are available to the ICC, but playing the tournament in Pakistan now seems impossible.

Here’s the background and what could happen next…

Did the ICC really expect India to go to Pakistan?

It appears that is the case, and Pakistan were also hoping their neighbors could return the favor after their trip to India for last year’s World Cup.

Original plans had been made for India to play all their matches in Lahore, the city closest to the border. It was thought that they might be convinced to travel if they could establish themselves across the border in Amritsar and travel to Lahore, about 30 miles away.

So what? Could this be a hybrid tournament?

This was the solution for last year’s Asia Cup, when all of India’s matches and the latter stages were played in Sri Lanka while the other matches were played in Pakistan. It was thought it would happen again, with the UAE the likely destination for India’s matches and the latter stages of next year’s Champions Trophy.

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However, CPC chairman Moshin Naqvi rejected the idea last week, saying a hybrid model was not an option. If Pakistan does not change its position, the tournament could be moved, with South Africa among the first to step up. But sources within the PCB said in Pakistan. Dawn yesterday’s newspaper that organizers could pull out of the event altogether if it were moved to another country.

So how is this resolved?

Who knows? To make matters worse, the source of PCBs that Dawn indicated that Pakistan may refuse to play any future matches against India in ICC tournaments until the issue of the Indian government’s refusal to allow its team to travel to Pakistan is resolved.

It is the nuclear option for the PCB which will put the ICC in panic mode. Richard Gould, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, explained last month why an ICC tournament without India or Pakistan would make the event unviable.

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“If you play the Champions Trophy without India or Pakistan, the broadcast rights are not there and we have to protect them,” he said.

Gould added that there were “options available” if India refused to surrender to Pakistan. But there appears to be little room for maneuver if the PCB remains steadfast in its refusal to either hold a hybrid tournament or move it elsewhere.

What is likely to happen then?

Well, the PCB asked its Indian counterpart – via the ICC – to explain the reasons why it would not travel. He also sought advice from his own government to consider a response. I think after all the posturing and threats, we will end up with a hybrid tournament, with all matches other than India taking place in Pakistan.

This means Englandaccording to a provisional schedule seen by Iwill play their three group matches against Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa in Lahore and Rawalpindi. India will play their matches in Dubai or Sharjah and, if they qualify, their semi-final will also be held in the United Arab Emirates.

Reportedly, the final is expected to be held either in Lahore, the original venue, or Dubai, depending on whether India makes it there.

However, persuading Pakistan to accept this arrangement will be difficult for the ICC. Don’t rule out a fig leaf, such as concerns over the readiness of one of the redeveloped grounds, being cited as a reason to move India’s matches so Pakistan can save face.