Finally, the Champions Trophy deadlock seems to have been broken. According to sources, a hybrid model – it might be rephrased as a fusion model – that was agreed upon, has been rubber-stamped by all parties. A formal announcement in this regard might come as early as Saturday, after a virtual meeting involving ICC chair Jay Shah, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi and other Board members. Shah is currently in Brisbane.
The ICC, of course, will not comment until the arrangement is official. “Discussions ongoing,” said an ICC functionary. “Any announcement will be made through a media release.”
However, according to sources in the know in Pakistan cricket, as per the hybrid/fusion model, 10 matches will be played in Pakistan, while India will play their three group league games in Dubai. A semi-final and the final will be played there as well. This is what RevSportz reported on December 5.
Also, this is exactly what the BCCI wanted after the Indian team wasn’t given the go-ahead by the Indian government to travel to Pakistan due to security reasons. The PCB, the designated host for the tournament, scheduled in February-March next year, wanted a similar hybrid model for all the India-Pakistan matches in the ICC tournaments until 2027. Accordingly, the India-Pakistan group league match at the 2026 T20 World Cup is likely to be played in Colombo. The tournament, in any case, is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
As regards the 2025 women’s World Cup, to be played in India, it hasn’t been kept in the ambit at the moment. Pakistan are yet to qualify for the tournament. If they qualify, the India versus Pakistan fixture could be played at a neutral venue.
It is learnt that the PCB will not get any added revenue apart from the hosting fee. Also, its demand of a written guarantee for a hybrid model until 2027 hasn’t been met with. The arrangements have been agreed upon “in principle”.