 "Champions Trophy 2025: PCB reportedly asks BCCI for written guarantee on hybrid model in future ICC tournaments in India")
Amid the ongoing issue surrounding the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly sought a written guarantee from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stating that the next four ICC events hosted by India would be conducted in a hybrid model.
BCCI unlikely to provide written guarantee
According to a report in RevSportz, the PCB wants the agreement to be “legally binding”. The report, however, states that the BCCI is unlikely to provide PCB with a written guarantee for the same. India are scheduled to host the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup and the 2029 Champions Trophy, apart from jointly hosting the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup and the 2031 Men’s ODI World Cup with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh respectively. This would mean that all India-Pakistan matches be held in Dubai.
Champions Trophy LIVE Updates | Final model to reportedly come out today
The BCCI had confirmed that India would not be travelling to Pakistan for the eight-team tournament citing security concerns. This prompted discussions on the hybrid model, an idea which the PCB was initially reluctant about. According to the report, however, the PCB has said that of India don’t travel to Pakistan, then Pakistan would not travel to India for future tournaments as well.
‘Written guarantees do not hold much value’: Akmal
Having said that, the cricket boards of the remaining competing teams at the 2025 Champions Trophy are fine with the Champions Trophy being held in a hybrid model. Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal is not too sure about how the written agreement would work out. “Those written guarantees do not hold much value," Akmal was quoted as saying by RevSportz. “Earlier also, the two boards had a written agreement on playing a certain number of bilateral series, but that didn’t happen," he added.
Pakistan had hosted the 2023 Asia Cup which was subsequently held in a hybrid format, with Sri Lanka hosting nine of the 13 matches including the final. India played all their matches in Sri Lanka. Pakistan, though, travelled to India for the ODI World Cup later that year, where they missed out of a semi-final spot. “I hope this time things are settled on the basis of parity. It’s a matter of self-respect, and so far, Naqvi saab has talked logic.
“Then again, a hybrid model cannot be a permanent solution. India and Pakistan should start playing against each other. Politics should be kept out of sporting events,” he added.
The report adds that Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) secretary Mubashir Usmani is acting as a “mediator” between BCCI and PCB. India last travelled to Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup, where they reached the final but lost to Sri Lanka.
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