Jay Shah and Mohsin Naqvi© X (Twitter)
The fate of the 2025 Champions Trophy, to be hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) isn’t yet clear. Though the board intends to host the entire tournament in Pakistan, the refusal to travel from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is making things tricky for them. While the PCB has shared its entire plan for the tournament with the International Cricket Council, there remains a fair chance of the tournament taking place in a hybrid model. Amid the debate around the topic, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has taken a swipe at BCCI and its secretary Jay Shah.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Ali suggested that other top boards in the cricketing spectrum will also say what the BCCI is saying, when the topic is brought to the table during the ICC meeting.
“5-6 boards jo haina dum hilate huye woh baat karenge jo Jay Shah bolenge. [There are 5-6 board who will wag their tails and do what Jay Shah says],” he said on his YouTube channel.
Basit also urged the PCB to take a tit-for-tat stand on the matter, and refuse to play any of their matches outside of Pakistan if India are refusing to travel to the country for the Champions Trophy
“The Pakistan board should say no to playing in a third country. If India are not willing to play in our country, then we shouldn’t agree to play the series in another country either,” he said.
According to a PTI report, the PCB has left the matter in the hands of ICC to decide.
While the budget for the Champions Trophy was approved at the recent ICC meetings in Colombo, the schedule and format didn’t come up for discussion at all. “The PCB now has done what was required of it as hosts of the Champions Trophy. It has submitted the draft schedule and format for the event and also submitted budget for the event,” a PCB insider said.
“It is now up to the ICC how soon they circulate, discuss and finalise the schedule of the Champions Trophy. The PCB for its part in the draft schedule has suggested hosting all of India’s games in Lahore including a semi-final (if India qualifies) and final,” he said.
With PTI Inputs
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