The Pakistan Cricket Board is not happy as the BCCI has refused to send the Indian men’s cricket team to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. According to reports, the BCCI had sent a formal letter to this effect to the International Cricket Council (ICC) through an e-mail. Speculation has emerged that a hybrid model may be worked out, through which India can play their matches at a neutral venue like UAE. The PCB has started preparation work to host the coveted tournament scheduled in February of 2025.
Javed Miandad Criticizes India’s Decision
With very less time left, this situation is starting to cause significant irritation among former Pakistani cricketers, starting with Miandad. The former captain has termed the Indian stance as “a joke” and believes that Pakistan can flourish comfortably without India in the tournament. He also wants to see how the ICC is going to handle this matter.
“It is a joke that this is happening. Even if we don’t play India at all, Pakistan cricket will not only survive but prosper as well as we have shown in the past. I would like to see how the ICC events earn money when there are no Pakistan and India matches,” Miandad said, as quoted by the PTI.
PCB Against The Hybrid Model
According to Dawn, the Pakistani government will tell PCB to withdraw from staging Champions Trophy if India sticks to its decision, as it has. The PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is said to have rejected the hybrid model that further heightened the tensions in this context. It has been a long time since India visited Pakistan for a Test series; the last was in 2008. Since then, the two teams have not played a bilateral Test series against each other.
How Did Pakistan React On India’s Refusal?
Mohsin Naqvi
“Whatever our government decides I’ll be sticking to that, Pakistan has been showing good and humble gestures over the years but this can’t happen every time”
Inzamam-ul-Haq
“The Champions Trophy in Pakistan is a big moment for our cricket. India’s decision is a blow to the spirit of the sport,” said Inzamam.
“There is no security threat to the Indian team here. They would get the best hospitality.”
Rashid Latif
“Enough is enough. When all teams are playing in Pakistan without any problem, this decision by India is purely political, and that should be unacceptable in all sports, including cricket,”
“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,” Latif told Geo News.
“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
Mohammad Amir
“This is the loss of cricket, and this shouldn’t have happened. You can’t make other teams suffer because of one team. It would be better to keep India out of the tournament and add another team in their place. It is kiddish to refuse to play in Pakistan when other teams are ready to compete here.“
