Following a few back-to-back developments, the case for the Champions Trophy has found its lull back again. After the Indian government denied the team permission to travel to Pakistan for the mega-event, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC), seeking a written refusal to travel from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, the PCB has not heard back from the ICC yet on the issue. Indian cricket board reportedly proposed to play their Champions Trophy game in a hybrid setting, however, Pakistan have vehemently refused to entertain any such idea. All this has brought the situation to an impasse.
The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, talking to the media at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, confirmed that the ICC has yet to respond to Pakistan’s request, though he said that he is optimistic about this scenario.
“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 said.
Barring India, none of the other nations have expressed any sort of concerns about traveling to Pakistan for the eight-nation tournament. Reportedly, the PCB chair has also reached out to the heads of other cricket boards, including England Cricket Board (ECB) chairman, Richard Thompson. During a meeting with Thompson on Friday, the PCB head communicated Pakistan’s stance on the tournament. Naqvi also mentioned during the press conference that the board is ready to ease out any concerns that the Indian board has about the tournament.
“At this moment, every team that has qualified for the Champions Trophy is ready to come. Nobody has any issues. I will say today also, if India has any concerns, speak to us about them, we can ease those concerns. I don’t think there is any reason for them not to visit.” Mohsin Naqvi said during a press interaction in Lahore.
The Champions Trophy is less than a hundred days away. PCB officially launched the event in Islamabad, where the much-awaited trophy tour kicked off following a delay. The itinerary originally included a stop at Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s capital, Muzaffarabad, as well. However, the venue was taken off from the first leg of the schedule at India’s request. That said, the trophy’s visit to the city has not been canceled yet. When asked about the possibility of the trophy visiting Muzaffarabad during the second leg of the tour, after its return from visiting all other participating nations, Naqvi said,
“My feeling is that the ICC will have to think about its credibility, that are they an organisation for all the world’s bodies. And that route has been rescheduled, we haven’t been told about any cancellation.”
The Champions Trophy will be the first ICC event that Pakistan will solely host, following the country’s previous role as a co-host for the ODI World Cup in 1996. The tournament will begin on February 19, with the final game scheduled for March 9. Besides being the host, Pakistan are also the defending champions.
