A day after a virtual meeting of the ICC board of directors concluded without defining the venue of the Champions Trophy in 2025, a final decision remains elusive. PCB President Mohsin Naqvi was in Dubai today, and while he attended Pakistan U-19’s victory over India, there was further intrigue over whether the PCB, BCCI and ICC had been able to reach an agreement on the tournament of next year.
As he did in the early hours of Thursday morning, Naqvi did not categorically rule out a hybrid model for hosting the tournament, something he has done in the past. “We will do what is best for cricket,” he told reporters in Dubai. “If we adopt any other formula [except hosting the tournament in Pakistan]It will be done under conditions of equality. The most important thing for Pakistan is your respect; everything else is secondary.”
Once again, Naqvi repeated what he said several times at Gaddafi Stadium earlier in the week. “A unilateral agreement is no longer acceptable. It cannot be that we continue to go to India and they do not visit Pakistan. Whatever happens must be on the basis of equality.”
What form that agreement might take remains uncertain. Naqvi’s repeated comments on “equality” have sparked speculation that the PCB will seek to extract some concessions if they accept a hybrid model in any form. That could involve an agreement for India to play its matches outside Pakistan, but a decision that any future tournament India hosts will offer provisions for Pakistan to play its matches outside India. There is also the possibility of some financial compensation for the PCB on top of such a deal, although Naqvi said earlier this week that decisions would not be based on money.
ESPNcricinfo understands that a decision should be made in the coming days, although Naqvi’s comments suggest there are still important loose ends to tie up. In all likelihood, any proposal will have to be approved by the governments of India and Pakistan before being presented to the ICC for approval; The Indian government denied India permission to travel to Pakistan and, as a result, the PCB has repeatedly said that any action it takes will have to be approved by its government.
“We need to resolve this once and for all,” Naqvi said. “And whatever happens, everyone must be treated equally. Any agreement will not just be for the Champions Trophy, but for the long term.
The tournament will begin in less than 90 days, on February 19. Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the planned venues to host the games, although if a hybrid option is chosen it will involve another venue outside Pakistan. The United Arab Emirates, where Naqvi met ECB officials today, are the favorites in such a scenario.
