Following the BCCI snub, PCB seeks CAS justice

New Delhi: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) conveyed them about BCCI’s decision to not travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy that is set to take place next year in the month if February and March. According to reports, the Indian cricket team hasn’t got a government clearance to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and BCCI has formally written to the ICC about the same.
PCB has now decided to approach the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The Indian cricket board has been firm on its point of not sending their team to Pakistan due to security reasons.

As a result, there has been a massive standoff between PCB and BCCI in recent times. A similar thing happened last year before the Asia Cup, thus forcing the PCB to adopt the hybrid model. While Pakistan hosted four games in the 2023 Asia Cup, the remaining nine games were played in Sri Lanka including the final.
Debate has surrounded the tournament’s status ever since Pak secured the hosting rights for the competition in 2021. PCB top sources, however, put the blame on their counterparts, especially BCCI secretary Jay Shah, and asked why he even agreed in the first place to let PCB become host in 2021.
India has not played any cricket in the country since the 2008 Asia Cup, owing to strained political ties between the two nations following the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.

Despite India’s unwavering position, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi recently ruled out the possibility of playing the event in a hybrid style. The PCB has currently ruled out the suggestion of hosting India matches in the UAE or Abu Dhabi.

ICC is in a fix

ICC originally planned to announce the competition schedule today (November 11). But that has now been postponed as an ICC delegation, in the coming week, is likely to visit all the venues in Pakistan to access the security situation and the preparation of all the venues that are being renovated for CT.
The governing body won’t announce the tournament’s schedule or start ticket sales until after the ICC inspection.
The PCB has adopted a more rigid stance in its hosting of the tournament, ruling out a hybrid model format. In fact, the PCB has approached the Pakistani government to discuss how to proceed with its tournament hosting in light of this latest development. It is important to note that Pakistan will be hosting its first major tournament since the last ICC event in 1996.

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi clearly ruled out a hybrid host model last week.
Naqvi, as Pakistan’s interior minister, represents the government in this case. According to an official familiar with the situation, the Pakistani government is considering directing the PCB to maintain its stance, reject the hybrid model, and insist on holding the entire tournament in Pakistan.
If that rigid stance comes from the government, then the ICC will be in a complete bind, as it cannot force any cricket board to go against the advice of respective governments. It leaves the ICC, with 100 days to go to the start of the Champions Trophy, in an especially difficult situation with simmering political issues between its two leading Full Members threatening to spill over—unsurprising given that Naqvi’s BCCI counterpart, Jay Shah, is the son of Naqvi’s counterpart in the Indian government, the home minister Amit Shah.
The situation will not become any simpler when Jr. Shah takes over as the ICC chair on December 1.

Friendship begets friendship

Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi will host the eight-team competition from February 19 to March 9. To prepare for the tournament, stadiums in all three locations have been undergoing refurbishment and upgrades. Pakistan won the competition in 2017.
Since the 2013 Champions Trophy, organisers have ensured that India and Pakistan play each other at least once in every tournament, making their rivalry the main attraction at international competitions. The match that attracts the most attention is usually this one. However, there are hints within this PCB administration that their government may forbid Pakistan from attending ICC events in India in the future — the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup is the next one.
PCB chief Naqvi had issued a warning on Friday that Pakistan might not make the same “gestures” as it did in the past. He was clearly hinting towards the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup, where the Pakistan squad visited India as a goodwill gesture, despite the thaw in relations between the two neighbouring countries. And India reciprocated by refusing to go to Pakistan immediately after the Asia Cup.
The developments have forced the postponement of an event in Lahore this week to launch the schedule and begin the 100-day countdown. Instead, the PCB is expected to push the ICC this week to obtain in writing from the BCCI the reason for its decision and on what specific grounds the Indian government is preventing its team from traveling.

Both countries viewed the visit to Pakistan by Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar last month as a positive step, and the PCB was prepared to reassure the BCCI of its preferred location for all games played by the Indian team.
The timing of the decision was made more awkward as BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is the son of Union home minister Amit Shah, is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and is set to take over as ICC chairman on December 1, and he would not want any allegations of being partial to his own team being levelled in that position.
The BCCI now anticipates making all the formal announcements about the tournament fixtures prior to Jr. Shah taking over the ICC reins.

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