Australia, New Zealand and South Africa react to Champions Trophy deadlock

With the deadlock between Pakistan, the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the hosting of Champions Trophy 2025 continuing, Australian, New Zealand and South African cricket boards have reacted to the impasse.

According to reports, the three cricketing boards have expressed displeasure and asked the ICC to put an end to uncertainty surrounding the event. They have said that all boards should be given an update and the matter should be resolved at the earliest.

“The schedule for the Champions Trophy 2025 has not been announced yet; the ICC should now decide what will happen in the Champions Trophy and the next tournaments. If India is refusing to go to Pakistan this time, it [ICC] can forbid it from going to any country in the future. A solution should be found for this,” reports quoted a joint statement as saying.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) maintains that Pakistan will not back down from its position until the BCCI accepts the demands in writing. The Pakistani government does not want to take any kind of risk this time and the matter will move forward if a written guarantee is received, reports said.

Champions Trophy 2025 is about to start in February in Pakistan, but the schedule has yet to be decided.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has expressed strong reservations about travelling to Pakistan for the tournament, citing security concerns and lack of permission from the Indian government.

The BCCI has requested that the ICC consider a hybrid model, where India's matches could be played in a neutral venue, such as the UAE or Sri Lanka. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has insisted that the tournament should be held entirely in Pakistan.

The ICC has been caught in the middle of this dispute, with both Boards presenting their cases. The ICC held a meeting on November 29, 2024, to discuss the matter, but no resolution was reached. The ICC has given the PCB a day to accept the hybrid model or risk losing hosting rights for the tournament.

The ICC is considering various options, including shifting some matches to neutral venues, but a final decision is yet to be made.

According to some reports, PCB has agreed on the hybrid model under some conditions. Under this model, for all the upcoming matches for the next three years, Pakistan and India will play in a neutral venue. Pakistan is hosting the Champion Trophy 2025, and India will be hosting the T20 World Cup 2026. 

However, PCB sources have denied these claims.