Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan Cricket Board ready to accept Hybrid Model, but places this condition before ICC

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are willing to accept a Hybrid Model for next year’s Champions Trophy and play India in Dubai if International Cricket Council (ICC), implements the same policy for all its events going till 2031, a PCB source was quoted as saying to news agency PTI.

There has been a serious tug-of-war between the BCCI and PCB over the former’s visit to the neighbouring country due to security reasons. The BCCI has already informed the ICC that they didn’t get government’s nod to travel to Pakistan.

The same was communicated to the PCB by ICC formally. Meanwhile, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi met Emirates Cricket Board head Mubashir Usmani in Dubai amid deliberations on a hybrid model.

The Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to be held in February-March next year. Based on a PCB statement, Naqvi told Usmani that Pakistan was ready to host the Champions Trophy and all the preparations were on schedule.

Usmani is also the chairman of the ICC’s associate members’ committee. ICC has four tournaments till 2031 which are Women’s ODI World Cup (2025), men’s T20 World Cup (2026), 2019 Champions Trophy and 2031 ODI World Cup. 

It shouldn’t be an issue for the ICC in the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2031 ODI World Cup as India are co-hosting the events along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It won’t be a problem with the ICC to host Pakistan outside India in the 2026 and 2031 events. 

But the real problem for ICC lies in 2025 and 2029 as India are solely hosting the Women’s ODI World Cup and the Champions Trophy respectively. 

On Friday, the ICC has told PCB to either accept the ‘Hybrid’ model of hosting for next year’s Champions Trophy or be prepared to be ousted from the event after the board’s adamant stand led to an inconclusive meeting of its executive board.

In case, Pakistan hosts the champions Trophy in a Hybrid Model, then India will play their matches in Dubai. Earlier, BCCI didn’t travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup. India played all the games in Sri Lanka including the final while Pakistan hosted four games.

Friday’s meeting as meant to unveil the Champions Trophy schedule but could not achieve a consensus after Pakistan once again rejected the ‘Hybrid’ model despite India’s firm refusal to travel there owing to security concerns.