PCB rejects hybrid model for Champions Trophy despite India’s row

ISLAMABAD: As the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board meets today (Friday) via video link to deliberate on the Champions Trophy schedule, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has taken a firm stance, emphasizing that a reasonable solution could be explored without disturbing Pakistan’s legitimate right to host matches.

The PCB asserts that international norms dictate that if a team or athlete withdraws from a finalized competition, the next in line — Sri Lanka in this case — should step in. If India opts out, Pakistan insists on this precedent being upheld and refuses to forfeit its hosting rights.

The second option available for the ICC is to postpone the event and organise it when India decides to travel to Pakistan. “We always faced some serious security problems in India and that is nothing new for Pakistani athletes travelling to India. Yet we decided to send teams to India in the past trusting the ICC word on Indian security.”

India faces the same scenario and they should also trust the ICC guarantees when it comes to maintaining foolproof security for foreign teams in Pakistan. “The ICC has conveyed that Pakistan’s success to provide top-notch security cover for the visiting teams is no secret now,” a source confirmed to The News.

On the other hand, if ICC decides to shift the Champions Trophy venue to any other country on India’s unrealistic and insensible stand, Pakistan will not participate in that event and may not become a part of any ICC future event. “For the first time the Government of Pakistan has made it clear that any attempt to deprive Pakistan of its genuine right to host the Trophy would have serious repercussions which include refusing NOC to the national team to play in any other country,” he said.

The ICC Board meeting that will be held today (Friday) afternoon will contemplate on the available options following India’s refusal to cross over the border to play their part of the matches in Pakistan, expressing their willingness to play on the hybrid model instead. The PCB has already rejected taking the Champions Trophy to hybrid model, maintaining that no Board representative uttered a word when the host nation presented a tentative Trophy schedule with the members during the October 21 meeting. As an afterthought, the BCCI has approached the ICC in the second week of November that the Indian government has refused permission to travel to Pakistan though the Indian Board never furnished an in-writing government letter denying the NOC.

“The PCB will demand an in-word letter written to the BCCI by its government asking them not to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. Since Pakistan is the host nation, that letter should have been handed over to Pakistan the moment BCCI refused to travel to Pakistan.”

It is unlikely that the ICC would come up with a definite decision on Friday as it will take another three to four days to gauge the repercussions before making the decision public.

The PCB is in touch with all the cricketing boards and members on its genuine right to host the Champions Trophy and India’s act to play spoilsport.