Much controversy has been attracted by the recent announcement that Pakistan is to host the 2025 Champions Trophy with the cancellation of the trophy tour in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), largely due to the earlier strong objections it raised when BCCI Secretary Jay Shah opposed Pakistan’s plea.
The picture regarding the ICC Champions Trophy isn’t getting any clearer with the Pakistan Cricket Board having announced plans to parade the trophy in such places as Skardu, Hunza, and Muzaffarabad, all located in PoK. In response, the ICC has forbidden this tour due to the ongoing conflict over these regions.
Reports have it that the BCCI voiced its concerns with the PCB plans, and thereby, the ICC asked the PCB to terminate the trophy tour in these disputed territories. Jay Shah criticized PCB’s decision to include PoK in the trophy tour, saying that while a visit to Islamabad is within limits, turning the tour into PoK is out of bounds. He further took this to the notice of the ICC and called for strict actions against Pakistan
A senior BCCI official informed PTI, “The BCCI secretary after it came to his notice, called up the ICC and was extremely critical of PCB’s move to conduct a Trophy tour of multiple cities which fall under Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. He has urged the ICC to take strong action. As far as Islamabad is concerned, there is no issue but there can’t be any Trophy tour to POK,”
The trophy tour is scheduled from November 16 to 24. However, the arrival is set in Islamabad on November 14. In response to the ICC’s announcement that the Pakistan Cricket Board must omit the PoK regions from the tour, the PCB needs to respond accordingly. In this case, Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi are set to host matches for the Champions Trophy but may also be omitted from the tour due to severe smog conditions. Interestingly, the ICC was to unveil the tournament schedule on November 11 as part of a 100-day countdown. However, delays have occurred due to India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for this event.
Despite these challenges, there has been little progress regarding PCB’s request for an explanation from the ICC about BCCI’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan. Reports suggest that a hybrid model may be implemented for the Champions Trophy, allowing India to play its matches in neutral venues like the UAE or Sri Lanka. However, this arrangement remains unconfirmed by the ICC.