Pakistan too will not play in India till 2027
NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Committee (ICC) is likely to put the final stamp on the proposed hybrid model for the upcoming Champions Trophy in February on Saturday. An official meeting is due to be convened on Saturday with newly appointed ICC chairman Jay Shah virtually attending from Brisbane.
It is learnt that ICC is agreeable to Pakistan team not travelling to India for any ICC tournament till 2027 to accommodate Indian cricket board’s (BCCI) wish to play India’s Champions Trophy matches in Dubai instead of host nation Pakistan due to security reasons.
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Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had demanded that Pakistan’s matches in future ICC events hosted by India should be played at neutral venues. Indications are India will play Pakistan in Colombo during the ICC T20 World Cup in 2026, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. For the women’s World Cup to be hosted in India next year, an alternate venue will be discussed for Pakistan to play their matches.
During the upcoming Champions Trophy, Dubai is set to be the venue for the final with Pakistan hosting 10 matches and a semifinal. “One may expect ICC to announce the venue and fixtures after the meeting on Saturday. As it was discussed in a meeting on December 5, hybrid model for the Champions Trophy is the most feasible option. ICC is likely to accept PCB’s request, and India is unlikely to host Pakistan teams till 2027,” an ICC source told TOI on Friday.
PCB had asked for monetary compensation for agreeing to the hybrid model.
They had suggested a greater percentage in ICC’s revenue sharing model. TOI understands that the ICC board members are not agreeable to the demand and PCB isn’t likely to get any sizeable financial compensation outside the logistical costs of hosting the tournament in two countries.
However, there’s a chance that PCB could be awarded another ICC event to host in lieu of the hybrid model agreement.