Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Dubai to attend a pivotal ICC Board meeting scheduled for today.
Naqvi, who departed from Karachi earlier this morning, is set to engage in discussions that could significantly shape the future of international cricket events, particularly the Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan in February-March.
The meeting will commence with a special ceremony welcoming Jay Shah as the newly appointed ICC Chairman.
Key decisions, including the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy, are expected during the evening session.
Concurrently, the ICC is conducting a separate meeting with its broadcasting partners.
Sources indicate that Naqvi remains steadfast in his principled stance. If the new formula is rejected, the board may take strict measures and explore legal options to resolve the dispute.
It is pertinent to mention here that the upcoming Champions Trophy is at a standstill following BCCI’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan, while PCB remained firm on their stance of opposing the hybrid model for the eight-team tournament.
However, in the latest turn of events, a new model, dubbed as ‘partnership formula’, is under consideration to end the deadlock between PCB and BCCI.
As per the new formula, Pakistan will also not play their matches in India during ICC events for next three years. Dubai is most likely to be the neutral venue for both the teams as per the expected new agreement.
India is scheduled to host three ICC events during this time period, including Women's World Cup 2025, co-hosting of T20 World Cup 2026 with Sri Lanka and Champions Trophy 2027.
Details further shared that the apex cricketing body has advised the BCCI to accept the aforementioned model, in a bid to avoid legal action by Pakistan and also to resolve the issue without voting.
If the proposed formula gets mutually agreed upon then there may not be a need for the board meeting and the apex cricketing body will communicate the development with the board members.
Atique ur Rehman Atique ur Rehman is a senior reporter for Geo News.
