The International Cricket Council (ICC) has called on Pakistan to accept the ‘Hybrid’ model as the framework for hosting next year’s Champions Trophy or face potential exclusion from the event. This development stems from the Pakistan Cricket Board’s steadfast position, which led to an impasse during an executive board meeting on Friday. The urgent session, convened to finalize the tournament schedule for February-March next year, ended without a resolution after Pakistan once again rejected the ‘Hybrid’ arrangement, despite India’s firm refusal to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns.
It is acknowledged that the majority of ICC board members showed an understanding of Pakistan’s circumstances. Nevertheless, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was strongly advised to consider the ‘Hybrid’ model as the sole “feasible solution” to resolve the ongoing impasse. If Pakistan agrees to the “hybrid” approach, all matches involving India will take place in the UAE.
“Look, no broadcaster will give a penny to an ICC event that does not have India and even Pakistan knows that. The ICC meeting on Saturday will only happen if Mr. Mohsin Naqvi agrees with the ‘Hybrid Model’,” an ICC Board source told PTI.
“If not, then the ICC Board might have to shift the tournament entirely to a different country (could be UAE too) but it will be held without Pakistan,” he added.
Friday’s meeting, led by deputy chairperson Imran Khwaja in the absence of outgoing chairman Greg Barclay, who was unavailable due to unspecified reasons, was brief as Naqvi repeated his nation’s position. This session was anticipated to be Barclay’s final official responsibility before Jay Shah takes over as chairman early next month.
“All parties continue to work towards a positive resolution for the Champions Trophy 2025, and it is expected that the Board will reconvene on Saturday and continue to meet over the next few days,” a senior administrator of an ICC full member nation who is also a member of the Board told PTI.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson stated, “BCCI has issued a statement. They have said that there are security concerns there and it is therefore unlikely that the team will be going there,”
If the ‘Hybrid Model’ is not implemented, the ICC could face a challenging situation, as the official broadcaster, Star, may seek to renegotiate its multi-billion-dollar agreement with the organization. The sole timeframe available for the tournament is from February 19 to March 9, as all other participating nations have scheduled bilateral commitments following this period.
A full tournament is unlikely to be held in Pakistan, they may consider retaliating against India by opting out of the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup scheduled to be held in India in 2025. A veteran BCCI official said, “Look, they can ask for a Hybrid Model for the 2025 Women’s T20 World Cup but that will be a long shot. As far as the men’s T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s matches will be in Sri Lanka mostly. The India vs Pakistan can be decided later.”
Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
