When the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board designated Pakistan as the host for the Champions Trophy 2025, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hesitated to formalise the hosting agreement. Their reluctance stemmed from skepticism about India’s willingness to participate in an ICC tournament on Pakistani soil, given the ongoing diplomatic hostilities between the two nations. The elephant in the room was unmistakable—it had been raised repeatedly with the ICC, yet the matter was consistently ignored. The PCB sought unequivocal clarity, but the ICC chose to turn a blind eye.
With the budget approved, the PCB embarked on extensive renovations of its three premier stadiums. However, just as the schedule was nearing finalization, the BCCI threw a wrench in the plans, citing security concerns for the Indian cricket team in Pakistan.
Pakistan-India clashes
India last toured Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup. Following the tragic attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, international teams refrained from visiting Pakistan for six years.
The drought ended in 2015 when Zimbabwe became the first team to tour Pakistan. Two years later, Sri Lanka returned, followed by a tour from the West Indies the subsequent year.
In 2019, both Sri Lanka and the West Indies visited again. By December 2024, all major cricketing nations—except India and Afghanistan—had toured Pakistan. Notably, countries like New Zealand and the West Indies have been frequent visitors, while Australia, England, and South Africa have also made significant returns with one or multiple tours in recent years.
Pakistan’s international tours
Zimbabwe = 1 (2015, 2020)
Sri Lanka = 2 (2017, 2019)
West Indies = 3 (2018, 2019, 2022)
Bangladesh = 1 (2020)
South Africa = 1 (2021)
Australia = 1 (2022)
England = 2 (2022, 2024)
New Zealand = 3 (2023, 2024)
Pakistan finds itself in a persistent state of conflict with its neighbours, making the actions of the BCCI somewhat predictable. Last year, when Pakistan was designated to host the Asia Cup, ACC allowed India to play its matches in Sri Lanka, a neutral venue.
Sports diplomacy
Subsequently, during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 hosted by India, Pakistan visited its neighbour. In a display of goodwill, the Pakistani government permitted the PCB to send team, anticipating reciprocity from India in future engagements.
This was not the first instance of Pakistan striving to stabilize sports diplomacy with India. In 2012-13, Pakistan visited India, and in 2014, both nations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) stipulating six bilateral series—four to be hosted by Pakistan and two by India.
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These series were to encompass up to 14 Tests, 30 ODIs, and 12 T20Is. However, the BCCI reneged on the agreement, attributing its failure to the Indian government’s refusal to authorize the plan.
The PCB escalated the matter to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee, seeking $69 million in return of financial loss, but the panel ultimately dismissed Pakistan’s claim.
The ICC
On November 9, when India officially informed the ICC that its government had denied permission to tour Pakistan, the ICC chose to remain conspicuously silent.
Instead of addressing the matter head-on, it busied itself with a flurry of cancellations and rescheduling of meetings related to the Champions Trophy, exposing its glaring inability to confront the BCCI and uphold its commitment to a member nation entrusted by its board with hosting rights in 2021.
For context, the ICC’s board comprises directors representing the 12 Full Members, an independent director, three directors representing the Associates, alongside the ICC chairman and CEO.
From a regulatory body overseeing international cricket, it has devolved into little more than an event management company, devoid of effective leadership and entirely subservient to its most influential stakeholders.
Even in its role as an event organiser, it has faltered over the past two years, with both the 2023 World Cup in India and the T20I World Cup in the USA and West Indies drawing widespread criticism for mismanagement.
There were significant issues in the management of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023; delayed scheduling, late ticket sales, and a lack of accountability.
The schedule was finalised just 57 days before the tournament and revised later, causing logistical challenges for fans, especially those requiring visas or arranging travel.
Tickets went on sale only 41 days before the event, creating further inconvenience amid inflated travel and accommodation costs.
The absence of a clear tournament director and organizing committee raised questions about accountability. While the ICC and BCCI appeared unaffected due to assured revenues and sold-out India matches, the delays and lack of transparency disproportionately affected ordinary fans’ experience.
The ICC’s recent men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and the West Indies faced several tournament managements issues, such as poorly scheduled matches, many airing during early morning hours in the subcontinent, significantly reducing viewership, and the use of substandard pitches, including the “unsatisfactory” rated surfaces in New York and Trinidad.
Overshooting the budget by up to USD 20 million compounded these problems, leading to an audit of the event’s management.
40pc increase in revenue
When the ICC allocated hosting rights in 2021, it could have included a simple yet critical clause: “India must confirm, at least one year in advance, whether it will participate in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan.” Why did not the ICC incorporate this straightforward provision?
Experts suggest that the ICC assumed Pakistan’s visit to India for the 2023 World Cup would prompt India to reciprocate by participating in the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.
However, mere assumptions do not guarantee the smooth execution of events—strong leadership and a proactive approach do. Standing idly by, hoping that the PCB and BCCI will resolve such complexities on their own, only exacerbates the situation, as evidenced by the chaos of the last 40 days.
Numerous ideas were in circulation during last one month, but the most resonant one within Pakistan was that the PCB had sought a substantial 40 percent increase in its revenue share from the ICC. Although this could not be fully realized, the PCB has delivered on its foremost promise: securing fair and equitable treatment from the ICC, even in dealings with the world’s wealthiest cricket board.
For the next three years, India and Pakistan will not play on each other’s soil, even during ICC tournaments. In 2026, India, in conjunction with Sri Lanka, will host the T20 World Cup. However, Pakistan is set to play all its matches in Sri Lanka, potentially relocating a semi-final and even the grand final from India to Sri Lanka.
The BCCI is acutely aware of its influence, but the PCB, too, has not underestimated its own strategic importance. They recognize that Pakistan’s participation features in the tournament’s most-viewed clashes and that an ICC event without Pakistan would be untenable for broadcasters. While there was once a prevailing sentiment that cricket tournaments could thrive without Pakistan’s involvement, the reality speaks to a far more intertwined dynamic.
The BCCI informed the ICC that the Indian government had declined permission for the team to tour Pakistan, citing security concerns, which effectively placed the matter beyond their control.
Changes confirmed for next year’s Champions Trophy tournament and future ICC events this cycle.https://t.co/UJ4S9XxUeF
— ICC (@ICC) December 20, 2024
When the government’s minister was questioned about the refusal, he stated that the BCCI had expressed apprehensions regarding the team’s safety in Pakistan.
This revealed that neither government nor the BCCI was willing to shoulder the responsibility.
Meanwhile, the global governing body, which is ostensibly tasked with taking decisive action in such scenarios, remained conspicuously passive—sidestepping the issue as if it would resolve itself.
Amidst the deadlock over ICC’s premier tournament, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah was announced as the new ICC chairman. Remarkably, on November 30, he was advancing BCCI’s interests, and the very next day, he assumed control of cricket’s global regulatory body.
While electing a chairman from a member board is a common practice, appointing someone so recently entrenched in the administrative affairs of a cricket board raises serious concerns about conflict of interest.
How could he provide decisive leadership to the ICC during a crisis that he and his colleagues had, in part, orchestrated?
If his most celebrated achievements at the BCCI were the introduction of the Women’s IPL and negotiating record-breaking deals for the Men’s IPL, how can he be expected to safeguard the future of international cricket, which increasingly risks being overshadowed by the dominance of franchise leagues?
Moreover, as the ACC President, Shah, failed in 2023 to ensure that Pakistan, the designated host nation, could stage the entire tournament on home soil or that India would honour Pakistan’s hosting rights.
With this precedent, how can he possibly reduce tensions between these two neighbouring cricketing giants in his role as ICC chairman?
Unless Pakistan and India begin visiting each other’s countries and engage in bilateral series, how can the future of ICC tournaments, their revenue streams, and the growth of cricket as a global sport be safeguarded?
There are far too many unanswered questions, yet those at the helm of affairs seem to ignore them. Much like the Champions Trophy, they may have simply chosen to hope that the issue will somehow resolve on its own.
