There’s apparently a deafening silence over the future of the Champions Trophy from all the parties concerned. Pakistan are the designated hosts for the tournament, scheduled to be played in February-March next year, but Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, is tight-lipped on the issue at the moment.
According to sources in the know, only a handful in the PCB are aware of what is going on. And this has prompted Rashid Latif to assume that the Champions Trophy could well be postponed.
Sounds outrageous. The event is barely a couple of months away and the host broadcaster, Star Sports, has already released the promo. Latif, though, sticks to his point. “The way things are going, I feel the Champions Trophy could well be postponed,” the former Pakistan captain told RevSportz. He is said to have contacts with people in the inner circle of Pakistan cricket.
“The tournament is just two months away, and you will have to take care of security, logistics and other important things,” Latif said. “The matter is even more complicated, given that a hybrid model has been proposed for the event. I don’t know how all the arrangements could be completed in time.”
Asked about the host broadcaster already coming up with the promo, he said: “It didn’t mention the date.” The promo featured the superstars and had visuals of some electrifying on-field moments from the recent past. Interestingly, though, it had the notable absence of Pakistan’s hosting rights.
Latif’s assumption notwithstanding, the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t seem to have another window in the near future to hold the tournament. The IPL starts on March 14 and will continue until May 25. The World Test Championship final will follow and then, India will embark on a tour of England for a five-Test series.
About a week ago, news emerged that there was a breakthrough in the 2025 Champions Trophy impasse, with all the Member boards agreeing to a hybrid model. India will play their matches in Dubai, as the BCCI didn’t get the clearance from the Indian government to send the team to Pakistan due to security reasons. A semi-final and the final would be played there as well. Pakistan, in turn, will play all their matches against India in the ICC tournaments until 2027 at neutral venues. An announcement in this regard was expected from the game’s governing body on December 7. Nothing, though, has come yet.
There’s a sentiment in Pakistan that the PCB should boycott the Champions Trophy. But even some of the Pakistan cricket insiders are rubbishing the idea. Pakistan have signed a host agreement with the ICC and the mandatory Members’ Participation Agreement (MPA). Signing the MPA is a precondition for a Member board to get the revenue share from the ICC events. Pulling out could have serious pecuniary and legal consequences.
Meanwhile, the ICC’s newly-elected chair, Jay Shah, is currently in Brisbane, attending a meeting with the 2032 Brisbane Olympics organising committee. Cricket will be part of the Olympics roster from the 2028 LA Games onwards.
Latif clarifies ‘bhai’ comment
Meanwhile, Latif claimed that by mentioning “bhai”, he never meant any underworld don sheltering in Pakistan. Rather, he spoke about a politician, Altaf Hussain. “Like in Mumbai, we address our seniors as ‘bhai’ in Karachi also,” he told this website. “Altaf Hussain is a famous politician in Karachi and everyone here calls him ‘bhai’.”
Some days ago, on Dr Nauman Niaz’s Caught Behind show, Latif was heard saying: “What do you (read, India/BCCI) think? Whom are you messing with? We live near bhai’s house.”