The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly seeking urgent guidance from Pakistan’s federal government on how to move forward with its hosting of the 2024 Champions Trophy after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that India will not be traveling to Pakistan for the tournament in February.
The BCCI had earlier informed the ICC of the Indian government’s decision to block the Indian team from traveling to Pakistan.
The ICC then officially communicated the news to the PCB on Friday, prompting the PCB to consult with the federal government about the next steps.
The PCB, led by chairman Mohsin Naqvi, has made it clear that it will not entertain a ‘hybrid’ hosting model—like the one used in the 2023 Asia Cup—where India would play its games outside Pakistan, and the remaining matches would be played in the host country.
According to sources, the Pakistan government is likely to instruct the PCB to stand firm and reject the hybrid model.
That would mean the entire tournament would be held in Pakistan, a directive the PCB would be expected to follow, just as the BCCI must abide by its own government’s restrictions.
With just a few months left until the Champions Trophy is due to begin, the situation has left the ICC in a difficult position, caught between two of its major members. The India-Pakistan clash is the highlight of any global tournament, routinely drawing the highest viewership.
However, there are growing concerns within the PCB that Pakistan’s government may not allow the team to travel to India for future ICC events.
This includes the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India. The PCB Chairman has also indicated that the goodwill gestures shown by Pakistan in the past—such as traveling to India for the 2023 Men’s ODI World Cup—may not be repeated, given India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.
The ICC has long recognized the importance of both India and Pakistan to the financial viability of global events. ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould emphasized this point during a visit to Pakistan last month, acknowledging that without the participation of both nations, the broadcast rights for ICC tournaments would take a major hit.
In light of the ongoing developments, the PCB has postponed a scheduled event in Lahore to launch the Champions Trophy countdown.
Instead, the PCB is expected to push the ICC to formally request a written explanation from the BCCI about the Indian government’s travel ban.
The tournament is still scheduled to take place from February 19th to March 9th next year.
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Golden opportunity missed pak and india should never be in group. All mess is due to that. If both reach in final let them play. Best advise now is let one group play in pakistan and other group should play in dubai.