File photo from an India vs Pakistan cricket match© AFP
Former all-rounder Yusuf Pathan, member of India’s 2011 World Cup and 2007 T20 World Cup-winning teams, backed the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision of not sending the Indian team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy next year. India has held its stance firm on not sending the team across the border for the marquee event which will be held in the early months of next year. Yusuf welcomed the decision and lavished praise on the Indian cricket board for thinking about the safety and the interest of its players. “BCCI always thinks about the players and their safety. So whatever BCCI does is in the interest of the players and the nation,” Pathan told ANI. While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was adamant about hosting the entire tournament in Pakistan, the recent developments have suggested that the stalemate has been broken.
According to the recent developments, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the PCB have reportedly reached an in-principle agreement to adopt a hybrid model for global tournaments hosted in Pakistan or India until 2027.
This model would allow both nations to play their games at ICC tournaments hosted by the other country at a neutral venue. Although sources confirmed the agreement to ESPNcricinfo, the PCB, the official host of the 2025 Champions Trophy, has not publicly commented, stating only that discussions are ongoing.
It is still unclear whether the hybrid model will apply to both men’s and women’s tournaments. In the ICC’s current commercial cycle (2024-27), there are three global events scheduled to be hosted in either country, the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February 2025, the women’s ODI World Cup in India later in 2025, and the men’s T20 World Cup in 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the agreement was reportedly reached after meetings between new ICC Chair Jay Shah and PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in Dubai.
These discussions took place alongside a courtesy board meeting arranged by Shah during his visit to the ICC headquarters in his new role. A formal Board meeting to discuss the Champions Trophy is scheduled on Saturday.
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