The all-powerful board of the International Cricket Council will meet virtually on November 29 to finalise the much-delayed schedule of the Champions Trophy to be held in Pakistan in February-March next year. The cause of the delay has been India’s refusal to play in Pakistan considering the tense relations between the two countries. India has not toured Pakistan since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.
The BCCI wants the tournament to be played in a hybrid model with India games scheduled in a third country, something that its Pakistani counterpart has not agreed to thus far. “The ICC board will meet on November 29 to discuss the Champions Trophy schedule,” an ICC spokesperson told PTI on Tuesday.
The crucial virtual meeting takes places two days before BCCI secretary Jay Shah takes over as ICC chairman on December 1. He and other board members would be keen to resolve the matter before the new regime takes over.
Earlier this month, PCB wrote to the global body seeking clarification and details regarding BCCI’s decision, which had been communicated to the sport’s World governing body.
The PCB has sought a written response from the BCCI, along with the date it officially informed the ICC of its position. Amid the ongoing uncertainty around the tournament, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed confidence in hosting the first ICC event in Pakistan since 1996.
“We have sent them (ICC) the questions we had. We are still waiting for their response. I believe that sports and politics are separate and no country should mix the two. Even now I still have positive expectations about the Champions Trophy,” Naqvi had said at a press interaction at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
PCB had to tweak the tournament’s trophy tour after BCCI raised objections with the ICC as the previous route was passing through three cities of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The PCB initially announced a route last week that included Muzaffarabad, the capital of PoK, and two other cities of the region. While the destinations were removed following a complaint by BCCI, it has not been officially cancelled. The Trophy Tour will return to Pakistan in January after visiting the other seven Champions Trophy participants.
With IANS inputs
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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