Champions Trophy: Can incoming ICC chief Jay Shah broker a solution?

Going forward, what will be the fate of ICC Champions Trophy? There is no clear answer to the question after nearly a week of the news breaking that India will not visit Pakistan to play in the tournament in February-March.

What’s new, one may ask, since this had been a given in view of the Indian government’s stance on the ‘safety and security’ of their cricket team – and the history of them not crossing the border since the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.

The hopes of turning a corner could have arisen due to the fact that Pakistan had been to India to participate in three ICC tournaments since then, not to speak of the fact that BCCI strongman Jay Shah (son of Union home minister Amit Shah) taking over as the ICC chairman from December 1.

A number of options are being touted at the moment but pragmatism tells you that there can be no major ICC tournament as this one without a India-Pakistan face-off. It has been the sport’s biggest golden egg laying goose for several years now – and it will be the biggest challenge on the president elect’s desk to start his innings.

It will be interesting to see whether he can shed off his garb of the BCCI secretary and pull off the much-needed balancing act as the global body chief.

To be fair to India, the BCCI never committed to a change in their stance throughout the year and had always put the ball in the government’s court on the issue of visiting Pakistan.

However, what made them leave it so late to make it official when chances of a U-turn by the BJP government in power was as good as nil? There was nothing new in their email apart from formalising the proposal of the hybrid model in the UAE - in which India are ready to play their league games there as well as a possible final in Dubai.

Much like the 2023 Asia Cup which was played in Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the BCCI had hedged their bets on the hybrid model once again, but the brinkmanship by a rigid PCB so far – albeit with the backing of their government – has thrown the fate of the tournament in jeopardy.

Media reports suggest that if a desperate ICC eventually shifts the tournament from Pakistan, PCB stands to lose to the tune of $65 million, not to speak of possible ICC sanction in case they pull out as the tournament is a ICC property at the end of the day.

Only on Friday, PCB received a rap on the knuckles from ICC as the latter refused to give them a green signal of beginning the Champions Trophy tour in some parts of the PoK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir). The PoK being a disputed territory, the world governing body of the game were within their rights to diffuse the situation after a complaint from the BCCI.

The ball is now at the court of both governments and there is talk that it could take a backdoor diplomacy, albeit at the highest level, as either of the parties have got to give to save the tournament. The ICC, meanwhile, has to do some serious soul searching before awarding any major tournament to either India or Pakistan unless the issue is sorted on a long term basis.

A hybrid model cannot be the solution everytime as it only reflects adhocism in cricket administration’s top echelons. While India have laid their terms on the table, Pakistan will pledge not turn up for the next T20 World Cup in India. They are on a much better wicket in recent years after having hosted most countries like England, New Zealand and Australia successfully to clear the air about their safety perception.

The next few weeks could hence be a make-or-break one for the tournament.