How Pakistan should respond if India refuses to come here for Champions Trophy

Pakistan will be hosting the ICC Champions Trophy early next year and the biggest issue ahead of the eight-nation spectacle is whether India will come here to compete in it.

India has not visited Pakistan for a cricket contest since 2008 having also stayed away from last year’s Asia Cup forcing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to relocate the best part of the event in Sri Lanka.

PCB chiefs are hoping they will not have to experience a similarly expensive logistical nightmare when they host the Champions Trophy but early signs aren’t looking very good.

Pakistan has chalked out a tentative schedule of the tournament to run from February 19 to March 9 next year in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. The marquee Pakistan-India game has been set for March 1 and will serve as the highlight of Pakistan’s cricketing calendar in 2025.

However, India is yet to confirm its team’s participation in the Champions Trophy which will also feature Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Bangladesh.

Why does India refuse to play on Pakistani soil?

Ask the Indian cricket Board (BCCI) and it will stress that the Indian government refuses to give permission to send the cricket team to India. It was in 2006 that India last played a bilateral series on Pakistani soil. It last visited this country in 2008 for the Asia Cup which its cricket team lost to Sri Lanka in the final.

It was after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks for which India holds militants based in Pakistan responsible that the Indians cut sporting ties with Pakistan. Meanwhile, Pakistan became a pariah in international sports following the March 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore. Slowly, there has been a normalization over the years but India remains the only top-tier cricket team to not have visited Pakistan since the resumption of international cricket here.

Will India visit Pakistan for the Champions Trophy?

Publicly, top PCB officials sound optimistic that India will visit Pakistan especially after the Board submitted a tentative tournament schedule that allows India to play all of the Champions Trophy games in Lahore. Even the final will be played in the city bordering India. Privately, however, they are not so sure considering that the hardline BJP government of Narendra Modi, which maintains a hawkish stance towards Pakistan, is still in power.

Can the ICC convince India to make the tour?

Despite being the ruling body of world cricket, ICC doesn’t have the power to force India to send its team to Pakistan. In fact the BCCI has far more influence than the ICC because of the fact that the lion’s share of the ICC revenues comes from India which has long served as the sport’s financial engine.

What will happen if India refuses to visit Pakistan, yet again?

For now, PCB chiefs sound gung-ho about this issue. However, it is quite clear that they won’t have any suitable option in case India refuses to send its team to Pakistan. The best they can do is go for the so-called “hybrid model” with all of India’s games including the final (in case India makes it to the title clash) taking place on offshore venues, most likely in the UAE. But PCB wants to avoid it considering the fact that it turned out to be quite a disaster to hold several of last year’s Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka.

Can a tougher stance from PCB help Pakistan’s cause?

In the past, PCB officials have promised to take a tough stance on this issue but it has all turned out to be mere lip service. But if they actually opt for it, will it turn out to be counter-productive? After all, India can exploit its dominant position and force the ICC to move the entire Champions Trophy out of Pakistan.

Nukta.com spoke to Pakistan tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq, who was at the centre of a similar issue involving the two nations.

“As a cricket fan myself, I really hope that the Indian team comes to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy," he says.

"It will be really sad if India doesn't come here. After all, we sent our team to the World Cup (in India). We could have easily made an excuse and decided against going to India. But instead we gave them a message of friendship. But if India refuses to change its harsh stance, then somewhere down the line, we need to take a stand."

Aisam is of the view that PCB should learn from tennis.

What is happening on the cricket front also happened in tennis. Pakistan and India were drawn in the Davis Cup, one of the biggest team events in international tennis.

It was Pakistan's turn to host India but the Indians refused to visit the country, forcing the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to move the tie to neutral Kazakhstan. However, Qureshi decided to boycott the tie on the grounds that it was unfair for Pakistan to surrender its home advantage. As a mark of protest, Pakistan decided to send its junior players for the match which was won 4-0 by India's top-tier team.

Last year, it was once again Pakistan's turn to host its Davis Cup Asia-Oceania zone tie against India. This time, however, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) managed to convince ITF against moving the tie to a neutral venue despite India's insistence.

The Indians were told to either give Pakistan a walk-over or play the tie in Islamabad. The Indian team did come and play their Davis Cup match in Pakistan for the first time since 1964.

"The match finally took place in Islamabad because we took a stand. PCB and Pakistan's top cricketers like captain Babar Azam should also take a similar stand. I think even if one of Pakistan's top cricketers makes it clear that he would boycott any Champions Trophy matches if they are played outside Pakistan, then it could make a difference. I believe that our cricketers should get involved and say that enough is enough. But I hope that it doesn't come to that and better sense prevails. I would love to see Indian stars in action on Pakistani soil."