The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will reportedly write to the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking for reasons behind India's decision to refuse to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Pakistan is set to host its first ICC event since 1996, featuring 8 teams in the ICC Champions Trophy that will be played in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi from February 19 to March 9.
There was always a doubt about the Indian team traveling to Pakistan for the event as they last visited the country in 2008 for the Asia Cup. Since then, the political situation between the two nations has degraded so much that after 2012-13, the two teams only clash in ICC and ACC events.
While PCB hoped for BCCI to reciprocate in kind after Pakistan visited India for the 2023 World Cup, BCCI dashed those hopes by writing to ICC that the Indian government has not given them approval to send Team India to Pakistan.
BCCI also requested ICC to host India’s matches at a neutral venue, with UAE being the front-runner. However, reports have stated that the PCB has threatened to pull out from the Champions Trophy and also not play India in any future ICC and ACC events if India do not come to Pakistan.
Meanwhile, in a new development, Dawn News reported that the PCB is "preparing questionnaires" and will request an explanation from the ICC over the stance adopted by the BCCI.
"As the BCCI has not given any reason behind its decision of not touring Pakistan, the future steps of the PCB to solve the issue can only be taken after knowing those," the Dawn quoted its source.
According to reports, Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB and the interior minister in the federal government of Pakistan, has rejected a hybrid model that would permit India to play their Champions Trophy matches at a neutral location.
"In such a case, one of the options the government is mulling is that of asking the PCB to ensure Pakistan doesn’t participate in the Champions Trophy," an earlier report in 'Dawn' quoted its source.
Meanwhile, ICC has the option of playing the tournament in a hybrid setting, or they can move the entire Champions Trophy out of Pakistan and host it in a different country, with names of South Africa and the UAE doing rounds.
(Times of India and Dawn report)
