LAHORE – The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is mulling over a proposal to hold the 2025 Champions Trophy without India if they are not ready to travel to Pakistan for the event.
The board has decided to take a strong stance after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) about its decision of not sending the team to Pakistan.
In communication with ICC, the PCB would cite the examples of the 1996 and 2003 World Cups as examples. In 1996, Australia and the West Indies refused to play in Sri Lanka, and in 2003, New Zealand refused to play in Kenya, and England refused to play in Zimbabwe. In both cases, the ICC awarded points to the opposing teams for the matches which were missed by the non-participating teams.
Reports said that the board has decided not change the venue of the Champions Trophy as Pakistan may also propose a “minus India” scenario for the tournament.
The PCB is expected to push the ICC to ask India to present its stance in writing.
Earlier reports suggested that Pakistan, within the next couple of days, would send a letter to the ICC based on government guidelines, with the board having already completed its legal consultation on the matter.
Pakistan is set to host the Champions Trophy in February-March 2025 as preparations are in full swing to renovate the stadiums.
