Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that the team India would not be traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy to be held next year. As per ESPNCricinfo, BCCI told ICC that the central government has advised it to not visit Pakistan for the eight-team competition, which is scheduled to be held from February 19 to March 9 next year.
This latest development means that the ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will now have to decide on another plan, which is likely to involve a hybrid model plan as a part of which India will play its set of matches at some other venue while the rest of the tournament takes place in Pakistan On Friday, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had ruled out using a hybrid model for the tournament or if even a discussion took place on the subject.
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has sad that Pakistan may take the big step of boycotting ICC events if India do not go to Pakistan this time.
The Champions Trophy will fea- ture two groups of four teams each, with participants including Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and defending champions Pakistan.
India and Pakistan have not engaged in a bilateral cricket series since the 2012-13 Pakistan tour of India, due to strained political rela- tions.
“ICC exists only because there is Pakistan and India. If the government of Pakistan also says like India that we won’t play, then the ICC will be of no use as no one will watch the match,” Rashid said.
“We can say that India does not want to play bilateral matches, but you can’t deny the ICC events as you already have signed it. India has to make solid ground. If India doesn’t come this time, Pakistan will take a big step by not participating in the tournament,” he added