ICC board’s meeting okays Champions Trophy budget

ISLAMABAD: An official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Monday confirmed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board’s meeting in Sri Lanka has approved the budget of Champions Trophy 2025, though there was not a single word included in the handout issued by the game’s governing body.

PCB Chief Operating Officer (COO) Salman Naseer, when contacted, came up with the answer that the ICC Board meeting has approved the ‘Champions Trophy budget’. Pakistan are to host the eight-team mega event in February 2025 with preparations already in full swing to hold it in a befitting manner.

Earlier, it was confirmed by an official in Sri Lanka that the Champions Trophy budget tabled by the PCB came under discussion during ICC Board meeting on Monday. However, the discussion’s outcome was not mentioned in the handout issued by the ICC on Monday evening.

“Yes, deliberation and discussion on the budget which had come through the Chief Executive meeting is on in the ICC Board meeting,” the official said. Meanwhile, the ICC’s handout says the ICC Annual Conference concluded in Colombo with the ICC Board and ICC Annual General Meeting attended by all 108 ICC Members. Just days before the start of the Paris Olympics, the theme of the four-day conference was “capitalizing on the Olympic opportunity” ahead of cricket’s inclusion in LA28.

The ICC Board confirmed that there will be a review of the delivery of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. This will be overseen by three directors, Roger Twose, Lawson Naidoo and Imran Khawaja who will report back to the Board later in the year.

USA Cricket and Cricket Chile have been formally put on notice and have 12 months to rectify their current non-compliance with the ICC Membership criteria. Neither a Member is considered to have in place a fit for purpose detailed governance and administrative structure and systems.

The ICC Americas office will work with Cricket Chile to support them in remedying their non-compliance. The Board agreed that a Normalisation Committee comprised of Board and Management representatives will be set up to oversee and monitor USA Cricket’s compliance roadmap and the ICC Board will reserve its right to suspend or expel the Member for continued non-compliance.

The Chief Executives’ Committee confirmed the allocation of the eight regional qualifying spots for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. This would see two teams qualify from Africa and Europe, one from the Americas and three from a combined Asia and EAP regional final.

The ICC with its long-term strategic commitment to equity across the men’s and women’s game also confirmed the expansion of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2030 from 12 to 16 teams.

The cut-off date for qualification for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 qualifier was confirmed as October 31, 2024. The CEC also approved the appointment of Paul Reiffel to the ICC Men’s Cricket Committee as the Elite Panel representative.