The virtual meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board on Friday (November 29) to resolve the ongoing dispute over the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 concluded in a matter of minutes, with the India-Pakistan standoff being unsettled.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains firm in its decision to not send the Indian cricket team to Pakistan for the next year’s Champions Trophy 2025, while the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has also rejected the proposed hybrid model for the mega event.
Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights in jeopardy
With tensions still high, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 could be moved out of Pakistan, and there is a real possibility that the tournament might go ahead without Pakistan unless they agree to the hybrid model, where India’s matches will be played in a neutral venue. Pakistan will lose hosting rights if they don’t agree to the proposed model.
The drama surrounding the tournament has further escalated as former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali questioned the quick conclusion of the highly anticipated ICC board meeting, claiming that the real winner may have been the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
In a fiery reaction on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali blasted the ICC’s swift decision on the Champions Trophy dispute. Questioning who truly won this clash, the former Pakistan cricketer expressed surprise over how the meeting ended so quickly without a solution.
Basit Ali calls out ICC for quick decision on Champions Trophy 2025
Basit Ali further added that BCCI’s stance might have unintentionally united Pakistan like never before, with even critics of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi now rallying behind him.
Basit Ali said in a video on his YouTube channel: “Who won in the meeting—ICC, BCCI, or PCB? And how could the meeting end so quickly? Ab pata chalega, Pakistan ko ek kaum bana diya hai BCCI ne (Now they will get to know, the Indian board has united Pakistan) … Even those who were against the PCB are saying, ‘Whatever (PCB chairman) Mohsin Naqvi says, we will stick to that.”
Read Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: PCB surrenders to BCCI; accepts Hybrid Model
Yeh insaaf nahi hai: Basit Ali slams BCCI and ICC
Furthermore, the former Pakistan cricketer has stirred controversy with his bold statement, as he has accused the ICC and BCCI of trying to “rob” Pakistan of its Champions Trophy 2025 hosting rights. Ali expressed his frustration, declaring that the situation is “unjustified,” as he believes that efforts to strip Pakistan of its hosting rights are just an attempt to undermine its stature.
Basit signed off by saying, “Yeh insaaf nahi hai, ke hamari Champions Trophy pe aap daaka daalne ki bharpoor koshish kar rahe hain (it’s not justified that they are trying to rob Pakistan of Champions Trophy hosting).”
Well, some reports claim that Pakistan isn’t backing down and is willing to change their original stance on the Champions Trophy 2025. While some reports claimed that the PCB agreed to a hybrid model with some conditions and the ICC agreed to them with the final decision to be announced next week.