BCCI to take up Hybrid Model talks for Champions Trophy 2024 in ICC meeting; ICC starts preparations

Colombo the capital city of Sri Lanka is all set to host the International Cricket Council Annual Conference (ICC) from July 19th to 22nd, 2024. All eyes will be on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hybrid model talks. This is the first time the event is being hosted in the Asian region.

The agenda of this meeting will be Pakistan hosting the Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan are the defending champions of the tournament and have been given the hosting rights. England, New Zealand, Australia, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and India are the teams participating in the tournament apart from Pakistan.

BCCI and the Indian government remain the biggest stumbling block in front of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in successfully hosting the Champions Trophy. They have not hosted an ICC event for a long time and the board and the management are trying their best to hold onto the hosting rights.

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There are already reports that the Indian government is unlikely to lose the board to send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The Indian government has not entertained any kind of relationship with Pakistan be it on the political or cricket front.

BCCI Issues Security Concerns Over Champions Trophy 2025

BCCI further expressed their hesitation regarding sending the team to Pakistan citing security reasons. They want ICC to execute the tournament in a hybrid model with the team likely to play their matches in Sri Lanka or UAE. The ICC is also considering the same and the discussion at the annual meeting might be on the same lines as well.

The BCCI will need its government's permission to travel to Pakistan which might shift the discussion about the tournament being potentially played in the hybrid model with UAE as a likely venue. Cricket Pakistan has also said that the PCB is concerned about India's last-minute withdrawal from the tournament without offering any proper explanation.

This might land the ICC into an emergency that would leave them to decide not only about an alternate venue but also about budget and travel plans as well about the venue decided finally.

Since the terror attack in 2008, India and Pakistan's political relations have remained controversial. This has affected their cricket relations as well. as the two teams not playing any bilateral series. The last bilateral series between the two teams was in the 2012-13 season when Pakistan traveled to India. India last visited Pakistan in the 2004-5 season.

The two teams have been regularly playing against each other in ICC events but bilateral cricket between the two countries has not started yet, There have been many attempts made to resolve the scenario but nothing has resulted in anything positive.

In the last six months, India and Pakistan have played twice against each other. Once in the ODI World Cup and once in the T20 World Cup with India beating Pakistan in both the games.

There are reports that India and Pakistan will be placed in the same group in the Champions Trophy. However, if the hybrid policy is applied, Pakistan might lose an opportunity to host the knockout games including the final.

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