The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially confirmed on India’s refusal to travel to pakistan for highly anticipated ICC Champions Trophy. The correspondence sent by BCCI to ICC has been forwarded to PCB.
A PCB spokesperson revealed the situation stating, “We have received an email from the ICC, informing us that the BCCI has declared its decision not to send their team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. The email has now been forwarded to the Government of Pakistan for further counsel and direction.”
The PCB has sought the ‘advice and guidance’ of Pakistan’s government, the statement added.
The move comes two day after Mohsin Naqvi said that Pakistan will not host nation will not stage any matches outside the country if India does not travel for the tournament.
“In the last two months, the Indian media has been reporting that India isn’t travelling. I discussed this with them and my team, and our stance is clear: They need to give us in writing any objections they may have,” said Naqvi.
Despite the official confirmation, the BCCI’s stance on not playing in Pakistan has long been known to ICC and global cricket community. Now, the confirmation has brought in many questions on what will be the next decision on the tournament.
“Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one. Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here.
“I remain in touch with several boards, and they’re all looking forward to playing here. I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter. We’ll give every team as many facilities as we can. We’d like to see fans from abroad come for the tournament, too.”
For many years, India’s government has barred the national cricket team from travelling to Pakistan because of ongoing political tensions between the neighbours.
India has not travelled to Pakistan since 2008, and the rivals plays each other only at ICC tournaments.
India and Pakistan played a bilateral series in 2012 and January 2013 when Pakistan toured India for white ball series. India last visited Pakistan for a bilateral series in 2006.
