LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formally wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to seek an explanation for India’s refusal to cross the border to play the Champions Trophy, scheduled to take place in Pakistan, sources told Geo News on Tuesday.
The development came during the ongoing uncertainty surrounding India’s participation in the eight-team tournament, scheduled in February-March next year.
Earlier, sources revealed that the PCB intended to write to the ICC after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) verbally informed the apex cricketing body about their decision of not sending its team to Pakistan.
The global cricketing body then relayed BCCI’s decision to the PCB.
The PCB, after consultation with the government, adopted a strong stance and ruled out any possibility of holding the tournament under a ‘hybrid model’.
Sources further shared that Pakistan’s government is considering a policy restricting Pakistani teams from competing against India unless sports and politics are separated.
A full boycott of matches against India, as it is advised by the Pakistani government, could affect multiple ICC tournaments scheduled in India between 2024 and 2031. Pakistan’s absence could weaken viewership and ICC’s projected revenue from broadcasters and sponsors.
The ICC, which secured $3.2 billion from broadcast rights for the 2024-2027 cycle and anticipates $1 billion more in other revenue, relies heavily on marquee events featuring Pakistan and India, which consistently attract record viewership and engagement.
“No India vs Pakistan games in ICC events mean all broadcast and sponsorship deals would fall out,” said a source which said that a match in ICC event is important for global cricket.
In recent years, the ICC has made sure that India plays Pakistan at least once in each of global cricketing events, ensuring a major chunk of revenue from this game.
The India-Pakistan match at the 2023 World Cup drew unprecedented interest, with 173 million viewers on Indian TV and 225 million digital viewers. The 2021 T20 World Cup match between the two sides reached 167 million viewers and drove 15.9 billion minutes of engagement in India alone, highlighting Pakistan’s role in generating cricket viewership and revenue figures.
Without Pakistan’s participation, the ICC could face contractual challenges with broadcasters and sponsors expecting both teams to play in high-stakes matches. Legal disputes with commercial partners, potential revenue drops, and a decline in ICC’s financial distribution to member nations are likely consequences.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.
