Lahore: The cricket boards of Pakistan and India have agreed to play their future matches in ICC tournaments on a hybrid model, easing the way for next year’s Champions Trophy
to be held, media reports said on Sunday.
The two boards held dialogue on Saturday, a day after the International Cricket Council (ICC) convened a meeting on the issue, and came to a consensus on a hybrid model for the February 19
to March 9 Champions Trophy. The Indian government had earlier refused to allow its team to travel to Pakistan.
“The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has stressed that it will also like the same model to be applied for its team when tournaments are held on the other side of the border in the next three years,” leading Pakistan news outlet Dawn said.
The final approval to the plan will have to be given by the ICC Board to ensure it is implemented fully.The PCB had so long been sticking to its stance of not accepting the hybrid model after the Pakistan team went to India for last year’s ODI World Cup.
However, now PCB has agreed on such a model, but also sounded the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI) not to expect any “future favours” – the Pakistan team visiting India during ICC tourneys.
“The ICC has to give a solid guarantee that the hybrid model will be implemented in letter and spirit in future and no Pakistan team will go to India to play any matches of the ICC events and on the same pattern the Indian team will not come to Pakistan” a source in the PCB told Dawn.
The source added that the ICC had asked the two cricket boards to arrive at a decision based on mutual understanding, before its Board takes any decision. The ICC had convened a meeting online in Dubai on Friday but it was postponed for Saturday.
On Saturday it was again not held because the two cricket boards were in the discussion.“As there will be holidays in the UAE till Tuesday due to the country’s national day, the meeting could be held at any time to announce the decision,” the source informed.
India remains the most influential member of the ICC, earning a lion’s share from the income of cricket’s governing body, and the source added that Pakistan could ask for a greater share as the bulk of the earning comes from matches involving the two rivals.
“The PCB may raise these points before the ICC to get its due share from its income in future, once the issue of the Champions Trophy settles,” the source concluded.
UNI
