- Sources: The International Chamber of Commerce meeting was postponed due to the lack of response from the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry
- The organizing body is seeking to finalize the Champions Cup schedule.
- The meeting will be held once the issues are finalized at the executive level.
LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has postponed its crucial meeting regarding the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was scheduled to be held today (Saturday). Geographic News Reported, citing sources.
Sources revealed that the meeting was postponed due to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) not responding to the demands made by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the long-standing dispute between the two sides over the venue of the much-awaited 2025 Champions Trophy.
Pakistan and India reportedly made a “breakthrough” regarding the venue the day before, agreeing to play their matches at neutral venues for ICC tournaments hosted by either side.
Under the new arrangement, India’s matches will be played in Dubai, while Pakistan’s matches in the T20 World Cup hosted by India will be held at neutral venues, sources said.
The agreement will reportedly apply to all ICC events until 2027.
During this time, India is scheduled to host the Women’s ODI World Cup in October 2024 and the Men’s T20 World Cup in 2026 alongside Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and has insisted on a back-and-forth hybrid arrangement for these events in India.
After Pakistan’s key condition was accepted yesterday, sources said, the schedule for the event was expected to be announced within the next 48 hours, with the ICC scheduled to meet again today.
The Champions Cup is scheduled to begin next February, with Pakistan hosting the tournament, despite India’s refusal to send its team to Pakistan, due to traditional hesitation.
Earlier in the day, sources said Pakistan and India are also involved in ongoing discussions regarding the ICC also being part of the talks aimed at finding a solution and finalizing the schedule for the tournament – which has been redrawn due to the hybrid model.
Issues discussed by stakeholders include those related to logistics.
The sources indicated that the International Criminal Court meeting will be held as soon as the cases are completed at the executive level.
In addition, they also emphasized the progress made in the backdoor dialogue and said that the issues are close to being resolved.
They added, “Things have begun to progress positively (…) and the International Criminal Court is expected to issue an announcement soon.”
According to sources, Pakistan is expected to earn $6 million from hosting rights, excluding additional revenue from ticket sales and hospitality.
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has to allocate between $1.2 and $1.3 million to secure the tournament.
In comparison, India has a significant financial advantage, receiving a 38% share of the ICC’s annual revenue, which amounts to $90-95 million.
In recent years, the ICC has ensured that India plays Pakistan at least once in every international cricket event, ensuring a significant chunk of revenue from the game.
The India-Pakistan match in the 2023 World Cup received unprecedented attention, with 173 million viewers watching on Indian television and 225 million digital viewers.
The 2021 T20 World Cup match between the two sides reached 167 million viewers and generated 15.9 billion minutes of engagement in India alone, highlighting Pakistan’s role in generating cricket viewership and revenue numbers.