ICC postpones Champions Trophy decision again

DUBAI: The second International Cricket Council (ICC) board meeting regarding the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed, sources revealed.

Sources have stated that council will likely reconvene within a two-day period.

The meeting was a follow up to Friday, where all member countries of the council met to deliberate on where the upcoming Champions Trophy would be played. After India refused to travel to Pakistan for next years tournament, the ICC were put in a tough situation. The possible options included having a hybrid tournament, replacing India with another team such as Sri Lanka, or stripping Pakistan of the hosting rights.

Champions Trophy: Possible outcomes of the ICC board meeting

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been steadfast in their refusal of a hybrid tournament, with sources quoting Mohsin Naqvi saying that “PCB’s stance on the Hybrid model is clear,” and that the PCB wants “the champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan.” The PCB have also stated that Pakistan will not travel to India for future events if they do not travel for the Champions Trophy.

This has led to the deadlock which forced ICC officials to postpone the decision, after a brief meeting was held on Friday in which Naqvi reiterated Pakistan’s stance. As the PCB have refused to entertain the option of a hybrid tournament, the only paths that remain are for India to rescind its previous decision, to replace India with another team, or to strip Pakistan of the hosting rights.

In regards to India travelling for the tournament, media reports claimed that Pakistan has previously offered to allow the Indian team to travel back to Chandigarh or New Delhi after each of their games.

The ICC are trying to come to a decision which would see Pakistan and India compete against each other in the Champions Trophy. Earlier, media reports suggested that partnered broadcasters may threaten legal action were the marquee match-up between the two rivals to be absent from the event.

Champions Trophy: ICC board meeting adjourned without decision