 "India and Pakistan last locked horns in the 2024 T20 World Cup in New York in June. PTI")
The uncertainty around the 2025 Champions Trophy to be hosted in Pakistan seems to be never-ending as the International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to face financial consequences after the global governing body’s failure to meet the contractual deadline with regards to the tournament’s schedule, according to a report in Cricbuzz.
According to the contract, the ICC had to announce the schedule of the 2025 Champions Trophy with at least 90 days to go for the event, and was required to provide all the stakeholders with the same. As per Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) draft schedule, the 2025 Champions Trophy is slated to begin on 19 February and go on till 9 March.
However, India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan citing security concerns, and Pakistan’s reluctance to hold the tournament in a hybrid model, have led to a delay in the announcement of the showpiece tournament’s schedule.
Contractual deadline passing affect broadcasters
The passing of the contractual deadline has significantly affected the broadcasters, who in this case, is the merged entity of JioStar, who are the official media partners of the ICC. “The broadcaster’s inability to fully exploit the tournament commercially is a significant and hitherto unknown facet of the entire Champions Trophy saga,” the report adds.
The ICC has remained silent on this issue, but with time running out for all stakeholders as well as the hosts, there could be repercussions with regards to the delay in the announcing the Champions Trophy schedule. Having said that, the ICC has reportedly decided to hold a board meeting on Friday (29 November) to discuss the fate of next year’s tournament.
PCB expresses unhappiness on issue
The report also goes onto say that an official of the PCB had contacted ICC CEO Geoff Allardice and expressed unhappiness regarding the uncertainty surrounding the Champions Trophy.
Since 2012, India and Pakistan have faced off only in ICC and ACC tournaments, with their last meeting coming during the 2024 T20 World Cup. Pakistan had travelled to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup, where the Babar Azam-led side finished fifth. India’s last tour of Pakistan, on the other hand, came in 2008 when Pakistan hosted the Asia Cup.