ICC board to meet on November 29 to decide fate of Champions Trophy

World’s cricket chiefs will meet on November 29 to decide the fate of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, the elite eight-nation tournament supposed to be hosted by Pakistan next spring.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has lined up a virtual meeting of its high-powered board on Friday with the hope that it will help break a deadlock caused by India’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan.

Nukta understands that there have been behind-the-scenes efforts to convince Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to agree to a hybrid model that will allow India to play it’s matches in another country. However, after PCB ruled out this option, the ICC has decided to take the matter to its board in a bid to find a solution.

Who has the upper hand?

Though the ICC is yet to announce any details of the meeting, sources said that the ICC board will take a vote on the matter.

There are fears that due to its huge influence, the cash-rich Indian cricket board (BCCI) will be able to garner enough support for its stance on the Champions Trophy.

The PCB, meanwhile, has precious little to support its cause other than the fact it occupies the moral high ground. It was awarded the hosting rights of the Champions Trophy in 2021 and it was only recently that India rocked the boat by announcing that it will not send its team to Pakistan.

Pakistan was informed about India’s decision by the ICC about two weeks ago. PCB, in its reply to the ICC, demanded the reasons behind India’s refusal. It is yet to get a response from the game’s governing body. The ICC took 15 days before calling a board meeting.

The ICC board is formed by representatives from the 12 Full Member countries, three representatives from Associates, an independent director along with the ICC chairman and CEO.

Friday’s meeting comes just days before a change in command in the ICC. In fact, New Zealand’s Greg Barclay, the current ICC chair, will be replaced by India’s Jay Shah on December 1.

So, what can we expect from the November 29 meeting?

With its enormous clout, BCCI seems to be holding all the cards.

It knows that without India’s participation, the Champions Trophy will not be able to become a money-spinning event. And it believes that this single factor will force other member countries, who get shares from profits made by ICC from high-profile events like the Champions Trophy, to vote in its favor.

Pakistan, meanwhile, will be hoping that other boards will take a more considerate approach towards it. The Champions Trophy will be the first ICC event to take place in Pakistan in 28 years. This fact alone underlines how important the Champions Trophy is for Pakistan.

However, the current political upheavals in Pakistan could dent PCB’s hopes of obtaining a favorable decision from the board. On Tuesday, thousands of protestors, supporting former prime minister Imran Khan, entered Islamabad and clashed with the security forces. And in the last few days, there have been several terror attacks in various parts of the country.

The volatile situation has kept Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s interior minister, really busy. Naqvi also happens to be the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which means he will need to take out time to deal with the Champions Trophy issue.

So far Naqvi, who has the Pakistani government’s support, has taken a solid stance. Whether he will be able to maintain that stance on Friday remains to be seen.