Pakistan's letter to ICC leaked: PCB wants written proof from BCCI on refusal to tour for Champions Trophy

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) remains steadfast on its stance with regards to next year’s ICC Champions Trophy, continuing to rule out any possibility of the tournament taking place in a ‘Hybrid Model’. This after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the 'mini World Cup' along expected lines and confirmed its decision to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

In the latest twist to the Champions Trophy venue row that has been brewing for months, the PCB has now written to the ICC asking them to provide a written confirmation from the BCCI on their refusal to send the Men in Blue to Pakistan and the reasons behind it.

Also Read | Pakistan cricket greats slam India’s refusal to tour for Champions Trophy: ‘Enough is enough’

In excerpts from the PCB’s letter to the ICC published on WION, the PCB also made it clear that they would not entertain the tournament taking place in a ‘Hybrid Model’ and that the tournament will be “held only in Pakistan”.

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“India must give solid grounds and reasoning for not coming to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. If other teams can come to Pakistan, why can’t India?” the PCB wrote in its letter.

“Champions Trophy will be held only in Pakistan, we will not be accepting a hybrid model. Previously, when teams refused to attend matches elsewhere, the match was considered forfeited and points were given to the opponent team as we have seen in the past.

“Also, when a team has refused to attend matches elsewhere, as per the rule, the next in line team has been considered for the tournament itself,” the Pakistani board added.

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The PCB, currently led by Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin  Naqvi, had been informed of their Indian counterparts’ decision by the ICC on Friday, with the BCCI citing they had been denied permission by the Narendra Modi-led government.

The BCCI’s confirmation came three days before a launch event in Lahore that was supposed to mark the beginning of a 100-day countdown to the event, only for it to get cancelled under the shadow of uncertainty that has engulfed the tournament.

The BCCI’s stance had led to speculation of the tournament taking place in a ‘Hybrid Model’, as was the case in last year’s 50-over Asia Cup that was supposed to be held entirely in Pakistan, only for a majority of the matches – including the final – to take place in Sri Lanka due to India’s reluctance to travel to Pakistan.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is widely being considered as a front-runner for the second host nation in the proposed ‘Hybrid Model’, with other countries such as South Africa and Sri Lanka also in the fray.

However, not only has the PCB firmly ruled out the possibility of a ‘Hybrid Model’, the Shehbaz Sharif-led government is also mulling the possibility of advising the Pakistan team the option of boycotting the tournament entirely if the tournament is moved out of the country to a neutral venue.

Read | ECB’s top officials say holding Champions Trophy in Pakistan without India not viable

The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, which went by the name ICC KnockOut Tournament in its first two editions, was scheduled to be held between 19 February and 9 March across three cities – Lahore, Karachi and Rawapindi with Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium hosting the final.

The PCB had initially planned for all of India’s matches to take place in Lahore and had even offered to let the Indian team travel back to either Chandigarh or New Delhi after their matches. The BCCI’s stance, however, has resulted in a giant question mark appearing above those plans with the fate of the tournament hanging in the balance at the moment.