LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday, firmly refuted the allegations of them ‘surrendering’ amid the ambiguity surrounding the hosting of the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy, slated to be held in the February-March window next year.
According to the sources, PCB officials and chairman Mohsin Naqvi returned from Dubai, where he held several crucial meetings regarding the issue.
Sources close to the PCB also shared that the board remained firm on its stance and is awaiting the response from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the newly-proposed ‘partnership model’.
The PCB sources further reiterated its opposition of the ‘surrender’ claims by highlighting that if Pakistan had surrendered, the BCCI and ICC would not have requested for more time.
It is pertinent to mention here that a new model, dubbed as ‘partnership formula’, is under consideration to end the deadlock between PCB and BCCI.
As per the new formula, Pakistan will also not play their matches in India during ICC events for next three years. Dubai is most likely to be the neutral venue for both the teams as per the expected new agreement.
India is scheduled to host three ICC events during this time period, including Women's World Cup 2025, co-hosting of T20 World Cup 2026 with Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy 2027.
Details further shared that the apex cricketing body has advised the BCCI to accept the aforementioned model, in a bid to avoid legal action by Pakistan and also to resolve the issue without voting.
If the proposed formula gets mutually agreed upon then there may not be a need for the board meeting and the apex cricketing body will communicate the development with the board members.
Abdul Majid Bhatti
