ECB chairman Richard Thompson and CEO Richard Gould are in Pakistan.
Top officials from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), including chairman Richard Thompson, have reportedly stated that staging the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 without powerhouse India is not an option and that there are "contingencies available" if Rohit Sharma's team does not travel to host country Pakistan.
India has not played in Pakistan since 2008 because of strained relations between the two countries, and their journey to the South Asian country is entirely dependent on official approval.
With the government unlikely to allow the BCCI to take the squad to Lahore, the Champions Trophy in a hybrid format appears to be the most likely option. The tournament will be held in February-March.
As with the Asia Cup last year, India can play their matches in a third country while the other games can be held in Pakistan.
The decision on India's Champions Trophy participation could be made before current BCCI secretary Jay Shah takes over the International Cricket Council in December. Shah was elected as the ICC's chairman in August.
“It would not be in cricket’s interests for India not to be playing in the Champions Trophy. “It’s interesting, with Jay Shah – the former secretary of the BCCI and now chair of the ICC – (who) is going to have a big role to play in that. There’s geopolitics, and then there’s cricketing geopolitics. I think they’ll find a way. They have to find a way,” Thompson, who is in Pakistan alongside ECB CEO Richard Gould, was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
ECB CEO Gould added: “If you play the Champions Trophy without India or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren’t there, and we need to protect them. They (Pakistan) are the host nation. We’ve seen the developments going on, and we’re all waiting to understand whether India is going to travel. That’s the key.
We think there are some discussions and relationships where they need to be. I know Pakistan is expecting India to travel. There are lots of different alternatives and contingencies available if that doesn’t happen.”
India and Pakistan play each other in multi-team events like the World Cup and Asia Cup.
“There are always security concerns in this part of the world when those two countries play each other. That will probably drive the key decisions. But I know relationships between the two countries are as amicable as they can be at the moment: we saw it play out at the (men’s T20) World Cup in New York,” said Thompson.
Thompson expects a decision on India’s participation in the tournament would be taken in the 11th hour.
“That’s between India and Pakistan, and I think they will find a way where India will participate in the Champions Trophy… These things tend to go to the wire, as history has shown us, so I think that in those [last] six months, they’ll find a way,” he said.
The event will feature eight teams including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa.
(PTI inputs)