Reports that Pakistan Cricket Board officials would meet on November 26 with the International Cricket Council and Board of Control for Cricket in India to discuss the uncertainty surrounding the Champions Trophy were dismissed by the PCB on Saturday.
A PCB source said, “We have no information from the ICC regarding any kind of meeting between us, BCCI and ICC.” Also, the board said it had not received a reply to its query from the ICC regarding its reluctance to participate in the tournament in Pakistan.
However, an ICC source confirmed that an internal meeting might be held on Tuesday to address the issue, explaining, “It is a virtual meeting of the Executive Board members to resolve the Champions Trophy schedule once and for all.”
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According to this source, it is due to a direct pressure from the broadcaster to finalize the schedule that the ICC agreed to meet and may vote to host the event in Pakistan, move it, or implement the Hybrid Model as suggested by the BCCI, with India playing all of its matches there.
The official mentioned that the PCB had taken a principled stance on hosting the event in Pakistan and wouldn’t compromise even under the Hybrid Model, agreeing to play its group match against India in Dubai. It has been reported that there’s a proposal to keep Pakistan and India in separate pools; however, according to sources, broadcasters are averse to this view as it would kill their revenue potential.
