The International Cricket Council (ICC) has stepped in to stop Pakistan from its proposed plans to tour the POK regions with the Champions Trophy. On November 14, The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) stated that the trophy will be taken to the Skardu, Hunza, Murree, and Muzaffarabad regions of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK). According to reports, the BCCI objected to these contentious plans of the PCB and asked the ICC to intervene and cancel the trophy tour in the said cities as it falls within Indian territory which is currently under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.
Reports say that BCCI secretary Jay Shah (due to take charge as ICC Chairman on 1st December) on Friday spoke to ICC officials and condemned this move by Pakistan. He has urged the global body to take strong note. “The BCCI secretary, after it came to his notice, called up the ICC and was extremely critical of PCB’s move to conduct a Trophy tour of multiple cities which fall under Pakistan Occupied Kashmir,” a senior BCCI official told PTI.
An ICC board member told PTI, “The discussions on Trophy tour is still on. I am not aware if PCB had kept everyone in loop about the four cities mentioned but if not then it was certainly not the right thing to do. I don’t think ICC will allow PCB to take the trophy to any disputed region.”
On Thursday, the Pakistan Cricket Board took to social media to announce the trophy tour in the occupied regions of Kashmir, “Get ready, Pakistan! The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 trophy tour kicks off in Islamabad on 16 November, also visiting scenic travel destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza and Muzaffarabad. Catch a glimpse of the trophy which Sarfaraz Ahmed lifted in 2017 at The Oval, from 16-24 November,” PCB posted on X (twitter).
Get ready, Pakistan!
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 trophy tour kicks off in Islamabad on 16 November, also visiting scenic travel destinations like Skardu, Murree, Hunza and Muzaffarabad. Catch a glimpse of the trophy which Sarfaraz Ahmed lifted in 2017 at The Oval, from 16-24… pic.twitter.com/SmsV5uyzlL
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 14, 2024
The upcoming ICC Champions Trophy tournament is scheduled to begin in February 2025. Pakistan has been given the right to host the competition, but the tournament has been put under the scanner since India’s announcement, that they will not be sending their cricket team to the neighboring country. India has indicated that it has security concerns relating to Pakistan, as the unstable country is rife with terror outfits running amock.
India has instead given its nod to another hybrid model, where the Indian cricket team’s matches are played outside of Pakistan. Such a model has been already tried and successfully implemented during last year’s Asia Cup, where India’s matches were held in Sri Lanka. Since this announcement from the Indian side, the Pakistani media and authorities have been trying to incite and prick Indian journalists, and media presenters as well as trying to create a negative spectacle around the whole tournament, threatening to even pull out from the champions trophy altogether.
It seems, now the Pakistani authorities are looking to escalate the situation. Announcing the trophy tour in the POK cities is a direct nudge to India for its refusal to come to the terror-sponsoring nation.
Apart from the loss of face, and losing hosting rights of a prestigious ICC tournament, Pakistan is also likely to lose out on at least 65 million dollars if the event is taken away from the country. The PCB had reportedly asked the ICC to get an explanation from the BCCI for its refusal to tour Pakistan. The alternative hybrid model will see India playing its matches in the UAE or Sri Lanka. The ICC had been set to announce the schedule of the Champions Trophy on November 11 by setting the 100-day countdown. But with India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan, the itinerary has been delayed.
