PCB chief says he will ‘make the best decision for Pakistan’ at the ICC board meeting on November 29 to decide the tournament’s fate.
Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi says he will “make the best decision for Pakistan” at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) board meeting, which is expected to make a final call on the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Pakistan is set to host the eight-team men’s cricket tournament from February 19 to March 9, but India’s refusal to travel across the border has thrown the competition’s logistics into disarray.
Naqvi has remained adamant that the PCB will not accept a “hybrid” model, wherein all fixtures involving India are played at a neutral venue, insisting that the full tournament must be played in Pakistan.
“The Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan,” the PCB chief told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.
“Our stance remains the same: a hybrid model will not be accepted and we’ll do whatever is in the best interest of Pakistan,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the ICC that its team will not travel to Pakistan upon the instructions of its government.
For many years, India’s government has barred the national cricket team from travelling to Pakistan because of ongoing political tensions between the neighbours.
India has not visited Pakistan since 2008, and the rivals play each other only at multi-team events.
The impasse has led to a conundrum for cricket’s governing body, which will now call upon all board members to resolve the issue at a meeting on Friday.
The ICC is expected to present the PCB with the option of hosting India’s matches in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) or another neutral venue, but Naqvi said Pakistan “will not sell out” and agree to monetary compensation in return for accepting a hybrid model.
“How can it be [fair] that we always go to India to play cricket but [they] don’t come to Pakistan?” he said.
“Whatever happens must be on equal terms and we have made our stance very clear to the ICC.”
The PCB earlier wrote to the ICC, asking for a copy of the BCCI’s concerns about travelling to Pakistan.
It has also sought advice from Pakistan’s government on tackling the issue, and Mohsin said the board will do “whatever the government says”.
The Champions Trophy will be Pakistan’s first professional men’s ICC tournament since 1996, when it co-hosted the World Cup with India and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan hosted the six-team Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Asia Cup in 2023, but India’s matches were played in Sri Lanka after their government did not allow the team to travel to Pakistan.