ICC Champions Trophy: Can Jay Shah force India to visit Pakistan?

After a hugely successful stint as the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the incoming chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC), Jay Shah will have a huge task in hand once he takes office in December. He will need to convince his country India to visit Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in February. But the ICC chief can only request his father Amit Shah, who is India’s Home Minister, and his government to make the first ICC event under his charge a grand one or rather make the mission impossible, possible.

So far, the BCCI has maintained that it will follow the government’s directive on travelling to Pakistan. As things stand, the Government of India is in no mood to relent. To make things worse for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the BCCI hasn’t even requested the Govt of India to reconsider its position. Hence, it will now be on Jay Shah to convince his father Amit Shah to do otherwise.

“There has been no discussion regarding Champions Trophy. Our stance is clear. We will follow what the government says. It is not in our hands. I can understand that it will be a difficult task for Jay Shah since he will be the ICC chief. But he understands the concern and we expect India’s matches to be shifted to a neutral venue. As ICC chief, he will have to change his father or the govt’s position,” a BCCI official told InsideSport.

Can Jay Shah pull off his biggest win?

As the BCCI secretary, Jay Shah has proved himself as an excellent administrator. He has been instrumental in the phenomenal growth of the BCCI through IPL, the Women’s Premier League, India’s stunning rise with three ICC finals, one ICC trophy, and the resurgence of Test cricket.

Jay Shah will, undoubtedly, be one of the most significant ICC chairs of all time given his clarity of thought and administrative skills. At the global level, women’s cricket is still not as competitive. Jay Shah will use his experience to boost this space and make women’s cricket a lot more interesting. Test cricket worldwide will get a massive boost with Jay Shah as the ICC boss while associate nations will surely benefit under the aegis of Jay Shah.

However, when it comes to the ICC Champions trophy, there is no way India would want to tour Pakistan. India last visited Pakistan in 2008 during Asia Cup. Now, it is not in Jay Shah’s hands. He can only try and convince his father’s government to change the stance. But it is highly unlikely.

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It would not be completely fair to say that the onus of India visiting Pakistan is solely on Jay Shah. It’s a government decision and a well-thought-out decision at that given what Pakistan has done. How can India think of sending its cricket team there? Danish Kaneria, a prominent member of the Pak cricket community, himself said it’s not safe.

“Looking at the situation in Pakistan, I have to say that the Indian team should not go to Pakistan, and Pakistan should think about it, and then the ICC will make its decision, and most likely, it will be a hybrid model, it will be played in Dubai,” Kaneria said.

Pakistan can only threaten to retaliate as they do not have any clout in world cricket unlike India, which is the financial and broadcasting powerhouse of the global game.

Pakistan had to come to India for the T20 World 2016 and the ODI World Cup last year. So, irrespective of their threats, Pakistan will bow down when the time comes and visit India in whatever tournaments India organises.

Can the new BCCI secretary take a call?

The answer is no. Whether India should visit Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy is not on the BCCI. Whether the incoming BCCI secretary, who will replace Jay Shah, is in favour or not, he or she will have to follow the government’s directive. There is no two-way about it. BCCI has been pushing for a neutral venue for India’s matches as it did for the Asia Cup.

“See, without India, it will be very difficult for the ICC to conduct an event. We want the event to continue. It is good for cricket but the stance is clear. We have already asked the ICC to consider moving India’s matches to a neutral venue, keeping Pakistan as host. And we will continue to do so if we don’t get a green signal from the GoI,” the BCCI official added.

However, despite the ongoing tension in the border regions, things could change positively next month. Islamabad will host the SCO Summit with government heads in October and the Pakistan govt has invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. While the Indian govt has not responded to the invitation yet if PM Modi decides to accept the invitation, that could send a positive signal to the ICC as well.