The Pakistan Cricket Board has questioned the International Cricket Council about India’s participation in the 2025 Champions Trophy, scheduled to take place in Pakistan.PCB’s wrote a Letter to ICC. PCB wants to know why India refused to participate and has requested:
1. Reasons for India’s withdrawal
2. Copy of BCCI’s written communication to ICC
3. ICC’s response to India’s refusal
History suggests that relocating the entire tournament for one team’s absence is unprecedented. Few example from history are:
1. 2009 T20 World Cup: Zimbabwe withdrew due to UK visa issues, but the tournament continued with a replacement team.
2. 1996 World Cup: West Indies and Australia refused to tour Sri Lanka.
3. 2003 World Cup: New Zealand skipped Kenya, and England avoided Zimbabwe.
In each case, the ICC neither changed the venue nor introduced a hybrid model.
If a team cannot participate, replacing them is more logical than altering the venue, especially when the host nation is not responsible for the issue.
The PCB argues that the ICC should not let politics hijack its tournaments. The cricket community expects a fair and consistent approach.
