 "Jay Shah 'strongly' objects Pakistan taking Champions Trophy on tour across PoK; ICC springs into action")
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah has raised “strong” objection to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) plans for taking the Champions Trophy on a tour across Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) this month. The PCB had announced on Thursday that the trophy would be taken on a tour that would begin in Islamabad, the national capital, and later cover cities such as Skardu, Hunza and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, a region illegally occupied by Pakistan in 1947 after the Partition.
BCCI secretary Shah, who is set to succeed Greg Barclay as ICC chairman on 1 December, reacted immediately to the PCB’s announcement by raising the matter with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
“Jay Shah has objected to that tweet and has criticised and condemned PCB’s plan to take the trophy to PoK cities. Additionally, PCB has no business sharing the schedule because it has to come from the ICC. Things need to be done appropriately, via appropriate channels,” a source was quoted as telling The Times of India.
The ICC was to unveil details of the trophy tour, but has now been forced to cancel it following Shah’s objection to the PCB’s premature announcement.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe global governing body for the sport had also recently called off a launch event for the tournament in Lahore that would have witnessed the beginning of a 100-day countdown to the ninth edition of the ‘mini World Cup’.
Also Read | Amid BCCI vs PCB spat, ICC video says Champions Trophy will be hosted in Pakistan
Besides the aforementioned cities, the PCB was to also take the trophy to the hill station of Murree that is located close to the Islamabad-Rawalpindi metropolitan area in the province of Punjab. The tour was to commence on 16 November in the national capital and conclude on the 24th.
The event was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan between 19 February and 9 March with matches taking place in Lahore, Karachi and Rawapindi. The tournament, however, hangs precariously in balance following India's refusal to visit their neighbouring country citing security concerns.
Also Read | Ex-PCB chief asks board to act 'wisely' and avoid 'pushing itself out of ICC'
While the BCCI had initially called for the tournament to be hosted in a 'Hybrid Model' , as was the case in last year’s Asia Cup, the PCB remains firm in its stance that the tournament will take place entirely in Pakistan, ruling out of the possibility of some of the matches taking place in a neutral venue.
However, given the BCCI’s influence on the sport due to his financial power, India’s concerns are likely to prevail over that of Pakistan and the ICC is likely to move the tournament different country.
Reports also suggest that Pakistan could end up boycotting the tournament altogether upon advice from the Shehbaz Sharif-led government if the tournament is moved out of the country.
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