THE Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Tuesday (12) it has asked the sport’s governing body to explain India’s refusal to send a team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next year.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) informed the PCB last week that India would not tour Pakistan for the eight-team tournament, leaving the fate of the event hanging in the balance.
Pakistan had previously rejected the option of a hybrid arrangement that would allow India to play their matches at neutral venues, for example in the United Arab Emirates.
“The PCB has responded to last week’s ICC letter seeking clarifications for the Indian board’s decision not to travel to Pakistan for next year’s Champions Trophy,” Sami-Ul-Hasan told AFP.
Deteriorating political ties have meant the rivals have not played a bilateral cricket series for over a decade, squaring off only in ICC multi-nation events.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947, and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
Any cricket match between the two is among the most watched events on the global sporting calendar.
Pakistani media reported on Tuesday that the PCB would be unwilling to accept security reasons for India’s refusal to visit.
New Zealand have toured Pakistan three times in the past two years, with England visiting twice and Australia once in the same period.
Pakistan also visited India for last year’s ODI World Cup and the PCB had expected the gesture to be reciprocated for the Champions Trophy.
The tournament is slated to be played across three venues – Lahore, Rawalpindi and Karachi – from February 19 to March 9 next year.
But a final schedule due to be announced this week has been postponed over the stand-off, which PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi termed disappointing.
“Almost every country wants the tournament to be played in Pakistan and it will be disappointing if they [India] don’t come,” Naqvi, who is also the interior minister, said last week.
“I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter. We will give every team as many facilities as we can.”
Naqvi said Pakistan would consider pulling out of events in India as a response.
“Pakistan has shown great gestures to India in the past, and we would like to say clearly that India shouldn’t expect such friendly gestures from us every time”.
India is due to host the women’s ODI World Cup and Asia Cup next year, and will co-host the T20 men’s World Cup with Sri Lanka in 2026.
India’s powerful cricket body, the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India], has not made any public comment. Likewise, the ICC, where the BCCI carries great sway. India cricket chief Jay Shah will take over as chairman of the ICC next month.
Indian and Pakistani media have speculated about how the impasse could be broken, but taking India out of the equation does not appear to be on the cards. Last month, any suggestion the event could take place without India was dismissed by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Richard Gould.
“If you play the Champions Trophy without India or Pakistan, the broadcast rights aren’t there, and we need to protect them,” he said. “There are a variety of options available if those circumstances come along. This is a big moment for Pakistan, and hopefully we can have the fullest possible competition in Pakistan. If that’s not possible, there are options available.
Chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Mukesh Ambani along with his wife Nita Mukesh Ambani (Photo: Getty Images)
