ICC Board meeting on Champions Trophy 2025 postponed for Saturday

New Delhi: The crucial meeting of the Board of the International Cricket Council (ICC), originally scheduled for Friday at 4 pm, has been rescheduled for Saturday, meaning that the drama surrounding the Champions Trophy venue will likely last for at least another day. Former Pakistan cricketer and coach Rashid Latif was the first to report that the meeting had been postponed, via a social media post. Latif posted on X, “Decision will take tomorrow on CT 25.” Pakistan have the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy 2025 and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is adamant on staging the tournament completely. With India refusing to travel across the border to play in Pakistan, the likely format available to conduct the tournament is a ‘hybrid model’ with Pakistan hosting a majority of matches in the country while India plays its matches elsewhere. Last year, the PCB hosted the Asia Cup in a hybrid model after India refused to travel to Pakistan. India played all its matches in the tournament in Colombo including the semifinal and final. Earlier this month, the PCB wrote to the sport’s global body seeking clarification and details regarding BCCI’s decision, which had been communicated to the sport’s World governing body. The PCB has sought a written response from the BCCI, along with the date it officially informed the ICC of its position. Amid the ongoing uncertainty around the tournament, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has expressed confidence in hosting the first ICC event in Pakistan since 1996. “We have sent them (ICC) the questions we had. We are still waiting for their response. I believe that sports and politics are separate and no country should mix the two. Even now I still have positive expectations about the Champions Trophy,” Naqvi had said at a press interaction at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Pakistan, who got the Champions Trophy hosting rights in November 2021, have not hosted an ICC event since the 1996 World Cup. –IANS