A senior cricket administrator well versed in ICC events told PTI on Wednesday that the PCB will find it difficult to decide not to play in the Champions Trophy.
If the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) withdraws from the ICC Champions Trophy, it might lose money, face legal action, and alienate the cricket community because of the ongoing impasse with the ICC over the organization of the 50-over competition, which is set for February or March. If the ICC and Board of Control for Cricket in India do not fully accept the PCB’s Hybrid Model formula, it will be difficult for them to decide not to participate in the Champions Trophy, a senior cricket administrator familiar with ICC events told PTI on Wednesday.
“Like all other participating countries in the event, Pakistan has signed a mandatory members participation agreement (MPA) with the ICC in addition to a host agreement,” the administrator clarified.
“A member country can only receive a portion of the money made from ICC events after it signs the MPA to participate in an ICC tournament.”
“Most importantly, the ICC guaranteed that all of its members would be able to participate in their events, including the Champions Trophy, when it signed a broadcasting deal for all of its event rights,” he added.
The ICC agreed last week to hold the Champions Trophy under a hybrid format the following year, allowing India to play its fair share of matches in Dubai and consenting “in principle” to a similar arrangement in multilateral events through 2027. A formal announcement is still pending, though.
According to the administrator, every ICC tournament must have at least one Pakistan vs. India match as part of the broadcasting agreement.
A broadcaster only makes an estimated bid for a long-term agreement with the ICC after estimating the value of all matches involving all nations. It should come as no surprise that the broadcaster uses the estimated proceeds from selling commercial spots to compensate for the money he would lose from other matches. The administrator warned that the removal of these spots would affect the expected earnings for all stakeholders, and that Pakistan might face lawsuits from the ICC and possibly from some of the other 16 member boards on the ICC’s executive board and broadcaster if it were to withdraw from the event.
In addition to litigation, he noted, the Pakistani board runs the danger of alienation because other boards do not yet endorse the PCB’s Hybrid Model formula.
“Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the PCB, must be honest about the entire matter. All nations have the same MPAs, therefore the PCB is in a difficult position unless they have included protection measures for the CT in their host agreement with the ICC. According to the official, the PCB faces pressure to adopt a hybrid model. While acknowledging Pakistan’s position of not participating in any ICC events in India, the BCCI and ICC agree that, even if Pakistan qualifies for either the semifinals or final, all ICC events scheduled in India over the next few years will occur in India.
The administrator also said that the PCB did not receive the respect they were due from the ICC management and that they lacked strong backing from other executive board members.
“The truth is that, despite being reminded repeatedly since the board gave Pakistan hosting rights, the ICC continued to ignore or skirt the question of whether India would send its team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy,” he continued.
He stated that after gaining hosting rights, the PCB had repeatedly brought up the question of whether India will send a team to Pakistan with the ICC.
The administrator stated that the ICC and BCCI needed to provide a definitive response regarding the PCB’s matter, which is why they postponed signing the hosting rights until late last year.
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