ICC Champions Trophy 2025: PCB skips Jay Shah's first ICC meeting, Devajit Lon Saikia represents BCCI

In a huge development, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) skipped the first board meeting of Jay Shah as the ICC Chairman on Thursday, December 5.

An important meeting was scheduled on Thursday to discuss the matters of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with Jay Shah at the helm amid the BCCI vs PCB tussle.

Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India's absence will be catastrophic, broadcaster warns ICC in letter

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: ICC Board Meeting Postponed

The Indian government has denied giving permission to the BCCI to send Team India to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. This led to the BCCI demanding the hybrid model for the marquee competition with India playing their matches in UAE.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is hesitant to accept the hybrid model and wants to host the entire ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in its own backyard. Mohsin Naqvi-led board also put forward some demands to accept the hybrid model.

At the meeting, almost every board backed India's hybrid model stance, and the members refused to accept the fusion model of PCB, according to which India and Pakistan will play the ICC events hosted in each other's country at a neutral venue in the next few years.

However, there is a possibility of the Pakistan Cricket Board receiving some extra compensation for accepting the hybrid model.

Meanwhile, in the ICC board meeting on Thursday, the Champions Trophy broadcasters Star Sports were also present to talk about operational modalities of hosting the tournament in a hybrid model and prospective schedule.

However, according to a PTI report, the meeting has been postponed to Saturday, which means that the broadcasters will have to wait longer before the schedule for the competition is announced.

Devajit Lon Saikia Represented BCCI, PCB Skips Meeting

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah moving on to become ICC Chairman has given a massive headache to the Indian body as it is finding very hard to find an ideal replacement.

Reportedly, the BCCI has not made any decision on who will succeed Jay Shah as the BCCI secretary and the officials in the board are clueless about this matter.

Meanwhile, BCCI joint secretary Devajit Lon Saikia represented India in the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday, as per the same report.

Also, Jay Shah visited the ICC Headquarters in Dubai for the first time as ICC Chairman on Thursday where he met with the ICC Board Directors and staff.

He met Bangladesh's Faruque Ahmed, New Zealand's Roger Twose, ICC chief executive officer Geoff Allardice, deputy chair Imran Khwaja, Zimbabwe's Tavengwa Mukuhlani, UAE's Mubashshir Usmani, Sri Lanka's Shammi Silva, South Africa's Dr. Mohammed Abdul Samad Moosajee and Malaysia's Mahinda Vallipuram.

A great start at the @ICC HQ connecting with my colleagues on the Board and the ICC team. Let the work begin! pic.twitter.com/QgbDoPDdBK

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) December 5, 2024

Talking about the major absentees, no official from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was present in the meeting. Also, the representatives from ECB, CA, and CWI weren't present in person.

I was equally delighted to meet with the dedicated ICC team - Jay Shah

Jay Shah, who succeeded Greg Barclay, said that he was delighted to meet the dedicated team of ICC in the headquarters and was looking forward to working hard to elevate cricket to new heights. He elaborated:

“This visit provided an invaluable opportunity to connect with my colleagues on the ICC Board where we discussed the initial roadmap and strategies to shape the future of this incredible sport,” Shah said, as quoted by ICC.

"I was equally delighted to meet with the dedicated ICC team working tirelessly behind the scenes to propel cricket forward.”

"While I am encouraged by what I have seen, I recognize that this is just the beginning. The hard work to elevate cricket to unprecedented heights starts now, and I am confident that together, we will deliver on this vision."