ICC meeting postponed to December 7, PCB told to accept hybrid Champions Trophy

The meeting where the International Cricket Council (ICC) was supposed to decide the fate of the Champions Trophy has been postponed from December 5 to 7. In a short discussion, the ICC again asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to accept the hybrid model. As per sources, the PCB is set to come back to the apex board with its final stand on the upcoming 50-over tournament.

Earlier, the PCB had dismissed the possibility of accepting the hybrid model, but later said that Pakistan would accept it with few conditions. One of the conditions was hosting all the ICC events in India in a hybrid model. With less than 100 days left for the Champions Trophy, the schedule is yet to be announced.

Previously, the ICC had informed the PCB that the hybrid model was the only option after India refused to travel to Pakistan over security concerns. On Friday, November 29, a brief virtual meeting attended by 12 full ICC members and three associate members took place, but no consensus was reached.

Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi are the three venues for the Champions Trophy and renovation of the grounds is also going on with full intensity. With limited time in hand, it remains to be seen which other nation takes responsibility for hosting India’s matches if the competition eventually takes place in the hybrid model.

Jay Shah, the newly-appointed president of the ICC, meanwhile, visited the ICC headquarters in Dubai on December 5 to meet the staff and board of directors.

“This visit provided an invaluable opportunity to connect with my colleagues on the ICC Board where we discussed the initial roadmap and strategies to shape the future of this incredible sport,” Shah said.

“I was equally delighted to meet with the dedicated ICC team working tirelessly behind the scenes to propel cricket forward.”

The Champions Trophy, already delayed in fulfilling its contractual obligations to stakeholders due to the ICC’s failure to release fixtures on time, is slated to take place from February 19 to March 9. While there were suggestions to initially announce only the match dates and reveal the venues later, this approach was deemed unacceptable by certain concerned parties.