Compensate if India refuse to travel to Pakistan for CT 2025, sign hosting rights: PCB urges ICC

PCB urges ICC to sign Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights agreement; PCB to be compensated if India refuses to travel due to security/political reasons. PCB officials discussed probability of India not sending team and made clear ICC must avoid unilateral decisions. PCB said ICC should appoint independent security agency to assess security situation. PCB said many teams toured Pakistan in last two years without security concerns. PCB said if India not sending team, ICC must compensate Pakistan. PCB clear they won't give up hosting rights. BCCI representative said government decision on India playing in Pakistan in 2025.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to sign the Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights agreements with it, stressing that the PCB should be compensated if India refuse to travel to the country citing political and security reasons.

A highly reliable source in the PCB told PTI on November 26 that while the ICC has marked Pakistan as the host of the tournament, the global body is yet to sign the important hosting agreement with it.

The source disclosed that PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and COO Salman Naseer had met the ICC executive board in Ahmedabad to discuss the hosting of the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February-March, 2025.

“Pakistani officials discussed the probability of the Indian board (BCCI) again refusing to send its team to Pakistan and made it clear that in any given situation the ICC must avoid taking unilateral decisions on the tournament,” the source said.

He said the PCB officials had told ICC that if India refuses to play in Pakistan on security grounds, the global body should appoint an independent security agency.

The PCB further said the agency could liaison with Pakistan government and security officials to assess the security situation of the participating teams including India.