PCB chief says he will ‘make the best decision for Pakistan’ at the ICC board meeting on November 29 to decide the tournament’s fate.Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi says he will “make the best decision for Pakistan” at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) board meeting, which is expected to make a final call on the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Pakistan is set to host the eight-team men’s cricket tournament from February 19 to March 9, but India’s refusal to travel across the border has thrown the competition’s logistics into disarray.
Naqvi has remained adamant that the PCB will not accept a “hybrid” model, wherein all fixtures involving India are played at a neutral venue, insisting that the full tournament must be played in Pakistan.
“The Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan,” the PCB chief told reporters at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.
“Our stance remains the same: a hybrid model will not be accepted and we’ll do whatever is in the best interest of Pakistan,” he said.
Earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the ICC that its team will not travel to Pakistan upon the instructions of its government.
For many years, India’s government has barred the national cricket team from travelling to Pakistan because of ongoing political tensions between the neighbours.
India has not visited Pakistan since 2008, and the rivals play each other only at multi-team events.
The impasse has led to a conundrum for cricket’s governing body, w …
